A blue phase liquid crystal film based on an interpenetrating network and its sensitive humidity response performance

Abstract

A humidity-responsive blue phase liquid crystal polymer film (alkalized-acrylic-BP) based on an interpenetrating polymer system has been fabricated. The nanostructure of the blue phase liquid crystal polymer was manipulated via interpenetrating networks (IPNs) by sequential synthesis into a humidity-sensitive acrylic acid, which exhibited sensitive response behavior to changes in humidity. The moisture response ability of the film was investigated by examining various influencing factors, while characterizing the color and shape changes induced by humidity. A comparison was made between the micromorphology differences of blue phase and cholesteric phase samples, as well as the reflectance changes influenced by humidity. The film exhibits not only humidity-induced color changes, but also demonstrates excellent deformation response performance, thereby showcasing its potential for advanced applications such as sensors, displays, and anti-counterfeiting.