Fabrication and characterization of imprinted photonic crystalline polymer matrices via multiple UV polymerizations

Abstract

A photonic polymer network was imprinted using multiple UV-induced polymerizations in the presence of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs). Here, the imprinted polymer matrices provided a chiral environment due to the chirality of the polymer networks. The fabricated cell exhibited Bragg reflections even in the absence of anisotropic materials. Moreover, a phototunable liquid crystal cell was fabricated with photosensitive liquid crystalline ethyl 4-[4-(11-acryloyloxy undecyloxy) phenyl azobenzoyl-oxyl] benzoate. The tuning properties of the cells were examined as a function of the irradiation time and concentration of the photosensitive material. Both the tuning rate and dark relaxation of E–Z photoisomerization of the embedded LCs in the polymer network were also examined.