Properties of thiol-vinyl PDLC films without additional photoinitiator

摘要

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films block UV light and have been used as smart windows, light shutters and rear screens on buildings. Generally, PDLCs are fabricated by photopolymerisation using photoinitiators (PIs), which may induce film degradation by UV light. In this study, we report the fabrication of thiol- vinyl PDLC films by the polymerisation-induced phase separation method without the addition of PI. The stoichiometric ratio of the thiol and vinyl monomers was optimised based on variations in the FT-IR absorbance intensity. The fabricated films displayed good electro-optical properties. The durability of the PDLC films (with and without PI) was investigated by observation under UV irradiation for 10 days, following which the films were characterised using a spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope and polarised optical microscope. The thiol-vinyl PDLC film without PI exhibited good physicochemical durability and low haze variation under UV irradiation.