Optical shutter driven photochemically from supermolecular polymer/liquid crystalline networks

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) with macroscopically uniaxial mol ecular alignment containing azobenzene molecules were prepared. The PDLCs w ere transparent because of their macroscopically uniaxial molecular alignme nt. Upon photoirradiation to muse trans-cis photoisomerization of azobenzen e molecules, the PDLCs became translucent. The PDLC systems do not require the use of polarizers and electrodes to fabricate optical devices. The ligh t scattering is attributed to a bi-phasic morphology In the systems produce d transiently by means of a partial photochemical phase transition. The lig ht-scattering behavior was investigated with respect to the effect of the p olymer segments in the PDLCs. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.