Network morphology and switching transitions in polymer stabilized cholesteric textures

We study the fundamental properties of polymer stabilized cholesteric textu re (PSCT) liquid crystal cells by (1) characterizing the polymerization pro cess within the liquid crystal medium and, (2) identifying the effects of t he resulting polymer network on the switching transition of the cholesteric . We show that monomer solubility is the primary factor determining network morphology-poorly soluble monomers yield coarse structures composed of dis crete particles, whereas soluble monomers yield smooth, highly interconnect ed networks. Following network formation, we use confocal microscopy, to ob tain in situ images of both the polymer network and the liquid crystal doma in structure as the cells are switched between the planar and focal conic t extures.