Anisometric, non-mesogenic, tailor-made monomer for reverse-mode shutters

Reverse-mode operation films can be achieved with polymer dispersed liquid crystals by many methods. One method consists in the use of either rough or polyimide treated supports in order to induce homeotropic alignment of the initial mixture that will separate in liquid crystal and polymer rich phases. The major disadvantage is the need for mesogenic monomers to keep a good alignment of the liquid crystal after the polymerization process. In this paper we present results concerning the use of an anisometric, non-mesogenic, tailor-made monomer for the preparation of excellent reverse-mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal shutters cast on rough surfaces. The combined use of rough surfaces and non-mesogenic monomers allows us to exceed earlier limits in physical and chemical properties, cost, and device dimensions by the use of a wider class of monomer molecules.