Optical retardation of in-plane switched polymer dispersed liquid crystals

We investigated the field-induced optical birefringence of a photopolymerized polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) with nearly a 50% volume ratio of phase-separated liquid crystal (LC) droplets. Measurements were performed in the in-plane switching configuration, which was attained by the use of interdigitated electrodes. The observed dependence of the sample transmittance on the external field magnitude is independent of the polarization state of the incident beam. The material transforms a linearly polarized wave into an elliptically polarized wave. Phase retardation between the two eigenpolarizations is proportional to the order parameter of the LC domains. The observed phenomena are attributed to the dominant role of the droplet proximity effects in the optical properties of the material. Dynamic response of the retardation takes place in a broad range of time scales, which are associated with relaxation of different degrees of freedom of the system. The observed dynamic features indicate an interc...

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