Phase separation structure and interfacial properties of lattice-patterned liquid crystal-polymer composites prepared from multicomponent prepolymers

Abstract

Lattice-patterned liquid crystal (LC)-polymer composites were prepared using photoinduced phase separation. Structural and interfacial properties of the LC-polymer composites were closely related to the composition of multicomponent acrylate monomers used in composite formation. Lattice-patterned liquid crystal (LC)-polymer composites are representative candidates for the practical application of LC materials in high-quality flexible displays. In this work, multicomponent prepolymers are used for the fabrication of lattice-patterned LC-polymer composites via photoinduced phase separation. Phase separation behavior between LC and polymer is closely related to the solubility parameter of acrylate monomers in the prepolymers. The lattice structure of polymer walls formed by photoinduced phase separation between LC and polymers is stoichiometrically controlled by the composition of acrylate monomers with various solubility parameters. However, unlike the polymer wall structure, it is impossible to control the LC-polymer wall interfacial properties just by altering the composition of the acrylate monomers. The interfacial properties are found to be predominantly affected by a specific component, a fluorinated acrylate monomer, in the prepolymers, and thus the anchoring energy of polymer walls is controlled by incorporation of the fluorinated acrylate monomer. By selecting an appropriate combination of acrylate monomers in the prepolymers, both the phase separation structure and driving properties of lattice-patterned LC-polymer composites can be controlled simultaneously. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.