Optimization of 4-Cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl Liquid Crystal Dispersed with Photopolymer: Application Towards Smart Windows and Aerospace Technology

The present reported work deals with the preparation of an energy-efficient smart window based on liquid crystal (LC) using a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) technique. The smart window was prepared using an LC-polymer composite by mixing photopolymer NOA-71 into nematic liquid crystal (NLC) 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB). The liquid crystal cell was prepared, the LC-polymer composite was filled inside the cell, and voltage was applied after the exposure of ultraviolet (UV) light. Textural analysis was carried out, and microscope images were taken out with the variation in voltage. Optical measurements were also performed for the smart window based on the PDLC system. Threshold voltage and saturation voltages were measured to carry out the operating voltage analysis. Transmittance was measured as a function of wavelength at different voltages. An absorbance study was also performed, varying the voltage and wavelength. The change in the power of the laser beam passing through the prepared smart window as a function of voltage was also investigated. The working of a prepared smart window using liquid crystal and a photopolymer composite is also demonstrated in opaque and transparent states in the absence and presence of voltage. The output of the present investigation into a PDLC-based smart window can be useful in the applications of adaptive or light shutter devices and in aerospace technology, as it shows the dual nature of opaque and transparent states in the absence and presence of electric field.