Polymeric liquid crystals

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These are very simliar to monomeric liquid crystals used in displays. Both have dielectric anitroscopy (the ability to change directions and absorb or transmit light depending on what electric field the polymer is in). Polymeric liquid crystals form long head-to-tail or side chain polymers, which are woven in thick mats and therefore have high viscosities. The high viscosities allow the polymeric liquid crystals to be used in complex structures, but they are harder to align. (For liquid cyrstals to exhibit useful optical properties they must be aligned.) The polymerics align in micro domains facing all different directions, which ruins the optical effect. One solution to this is to mix in a small amount of photo-curing polymer, which when spin coated onto a surface can be hardened. Basically, the polymeric liquid crystal and photocurer are aligned in one direction, and then the photo curer is cured "freezing" the polymeric in one direction.

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