• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.205-211
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• 2019

Over the past several decades, the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) has received particular attention as a material for developing smart window due to their electro-optical switchable properties. In this study, PDLC cells were fabricated using acrylate monomers, namely 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (2-HEA) and ethylene glycol phenyl ether acrylate (EGPA), and the effect of the monomer composition on their electro-optical properties was investigated. The monomer mixture with a low viscosity (~10 cps) was easily filled between indium tin oxide (ITO) glasses by capillary action at room temperature. PDLC cells prepared using the mixture ratio of 1 : 9 (2-HEA : EGPA) did not show a complete opaque state at a 0 V condition but exhibited unstable electro-optical properties under an electric field. As the LC composition increased in the reaction mixture for PDLC cell preparation, the $V_{th}$ (threshold voltage) and $V_{sat}$ (saturation voltage) values as well as contrast ratio (CR) increased. $V_{th}$ and $V_{sat}$ values also increased with the cell gap thickness. PDLC cells with a $20{\mu}m$ cell gap thickness exhibited higher CR than those with 10 and $40{\mu}m$ cell gap thicknesses. Particularly, PDLC cells prepared using the mixture ratio of 7 : 3 (2-HEA : EGPA) showed excellent electro-optical properties such as a low driving voltage and high contrast ratio.