title: Preparation of a Thermally Light-Transmittance-Controllable Film from a Coexistent System of Polymer-Dispersed and Polymer-Stabilized Liquid Crystals.
abstract: Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) and polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) systems are the two primary distinct systems in the field of liquid crystal (LC) technology, and they are differentiated by their unique microstructures. Here, we present a novel coexistent system of polymer-dispersed and polymer-stabilized liquid crystals (PD&SLCs), which forms a homeotropically aligned polymer network (HAPN) within the LC droplets after a microphase separation between the LC and polymer matrix and combines the advantages of both the PDLC and PSLC systems. Then, we prepare a novel thermally light-transmittance-controllable (TLTC) film from the PD&SLC system, where the transmittance can be reversibly changed through thermal control from a transparent to a light-scattering state. The film also combines the advantageous features of flexibility and a potential for large-scale manufacturing, and it shows significant promise in future applications from smart windows to temperature sensors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing , Beijing 100083, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shu-Meng
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0466-6382
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Cui-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University , Shanghai 200000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lan-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bao-Feng
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing , Beijing 100083, P. R. China.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Huai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: coexistent system; liquid crystal; polymer-dispersed liquid crystal; polymer-stabilized liquid crystal; thermally light-transmittance-controllable film