Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals with UV-shielding properties

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films are widely used in intelligent opto-electronic field owing to their electrically switchable properties. Previous studies have focused on the improvement of electro-optical properties of PDLC film in visible light bands; yet, the application of PDLC in other bands has few research. In this paper, vinylferrocene was introduced into PDLC films containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) to improve UV-shielding properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed that vinylferrocene was uniformly dispersed in the polymer network. The structure could improve the electro-optical properties of PDLC film. The effect of temperature on PDLC film was studied. When the temperature reached 35°C, the PDLC composite film polymer network had better electro-optical properties. The PDLC composite films can effectively shield 86.73% UV light at on-state and 93.37% at off-state. The unique UV-shielding properties make this PDLC film a great application potential in smart windows. This PDLC combined with POSS and vinylferrocene film also exhibits large-area processability, which can further expand its application.