title: Optically and thermally controllable light scattering based on dye-doped liquid crystals in poly(N-vinylcarbazole) films-coated liquid crystal cell.
abstract: This paper presents the optically controllable light scattering based on dye-doped liquid crystals (DDLCs) in a cell, whose substrates are coated with poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) films. The optical control mechanism is the light-induced dissolution of PVK in DDLCs, which reforms the disordered LC distribution into multiple and micron-sized LC domains. The induced thermal effect on the process is investigated in detail. Scanning electron microscopy images are obtained to show the surface structures of the produced PVK films. The generated scattering can be switched back to the original one by particular thermally induced phase separation. Results indicate that the light-induced thermal effect and photoisomerization lead to the dissolution of PVK in DDLCs. Finally, scattering mode light shutter with different transmission is successfully achieved by illuminating the cell under various light intensities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Photonics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuan-Di
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Andy Ying-Guey
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Fuh
authors.forename: Ko-Ting
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019276:Glycocalyx; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007536:Isomerism; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D011069:Poly I; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D011069:Poly I; C017937:poly If