Reverse-mode operation shutters have been achieved by combining the techniq
ues of the traditional means of making polymer-dispersed liquid crystals an
d nematic curvilinear aligned phases. Nematic microemulsions, obtained by a
thermally induced phase separation, have been photopolymerized in an exter
nal force field. After the polymerization, films show 85% transmittance in
the OFF state, while it decreases to less than 1% when an electric field of
about 2 V mu m(-1) at 1 kHz is applied. The rise-time values, about 2 ms,
are in the same range as those obtained with normal-mode polymer-dispersed
liquid-crystal films. On the contrary, decay time shows longer values. (C)
1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)03626-8].