Ordering of droplets and light scattering in polymer dispersed liquid crystal films

TL;DR

This paper investigates how droplet ordering affects optical transmittance in polymer dispersed liquid crystal films, combining experimental data with a theoretical model based on light scattering and droplet orientation.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical approach linking optical transmittance to droplet and internal structure order parameters in PDLC films, considering positional correlations.

Findings

Droplet ordering influences optical transmittance significantly.

Theoretical model accurately relates transmittance to droplet orientation.

Positional correlations affect light scattering in PDLC films.

Abstract

We study the effects of droplet ordering in initial optical transmittance through polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films prepared in the presence of an electrical field. The experimental data are interpreted by using a theoretical approach to light scattering in PDLC films that explicitly relates optical transmittance and the order parameters characterizing both the orientational structures inside bipolar droplets and orientational distribution of the droplets. The theory relies on the Rayleigh-Gans approximation and uses the Percus-Yevick approximation to take into account the effects due to droplet positional correlations.