Optically switchable gratings based on azo-dye-doped, polymer-dispersed liquid crystals.

We report a holographically fabricated, optically switchable grating using azo-dye-doped, polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (LCs). Our experiments show that upon photoirradiation, the diffraction of the grating was decreased significantly. We believe that this switching behavior is due to two factors--nematic-isotropic phase transition of LCs and thermal expansion of the grating structure.

[1]  Jun Qi,et al.  Influence of partial matrix fluorination on morphology and performance of HPDLC transmission gratings , 2002 .

[2]  G J Lee,et al.  Photophysical properties and photoisomerization processes of Methyl Red embedded in rigid polymer. , 1995, Applied optics.

[3]  Lalgudi V. Natarajan,et al.  Switchable Holographic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Reflection Gratings Based on Thiol−Ene Photopolymerization , 2003 .

[4]  Haiping Yu,et al.  Optically switchable liquid crystal photonic structures. , 2004, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[5]  X. H. Zhang,et al.  Low-threshold and narrow-linewidth lasing from dye-doped holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal transmission gratings , 2006 .

[6]  Xiao Wei Sun,et al.  Effect of surfactant on the electro-optical properties of holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal Bragg gratings , 2005 .

[7]  G. Crawford,et al.  Effect of Monomer Functionality on the Morphology and Performance of the Holographic Transmission Gratings Recorded on Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals , 2003 .

[8]  Shin‐Tson Wu,et al.  Fast-response and scattering-free polymer network liquid crystals for infrared light modulators , 2004 .

[9]  Jun Qi,et al.  In situ shrinkage measurement of holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystals , 2002 .

[10]  Lalgudi V. Natarajan,et al.  Bragg gratings in an acrylate polymer consisting of periodic polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal planes , 1993 .

[11]  L. V. Natarajan,et al.  Holographic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystals (H-PDLCs)1 , 2000 .

[12]  Shin‐Tson Wu,et al.  Ultraviolet stability of liquid crystals containing cyano and isothiocyanato terminal groups , 2004 .

[13]  Bin Zhang,et al.  Improvement of the diffraction properties in holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal bragg gratings , 2003 .

[14]  Vincent P. Tondiglia,et al.  The influence of surfactant in reflective HPDLC gratings , 2004 .

[15]  Xiao Wei Sun,et al.  A polarization insensitive 2×2 optical switch fabricated by liquid crystal–polymer composite , 2005 .

[16]  C. Tanford.  Macromolecules , 1994, Nature.

[17]  M. Tsai,et al.  Optically switchable gratings based on polymer-dispersed liquid crystal films doped with a guest–host dye , 1999 .