Analysis of electro-optical properties of surfactant doped polymer dispersed liquid crystal

The phase transition temperature dependence of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) leads to a narrow operating temperature range, especially in low-temperature environments prone to transparency anomalies or a significant increase in the drive voltage and other issues, which seriously limits its promotion in outdoor displays, automotive dimming glass, and other wide-temperature range applications. The narrow working temperature range is one of the significant factors limiting the wide applications of PDLC. In this paper, we have prepared a surfactant (Span-80)-doped PDLC. The different concentration of Span-80 has a significant impact on the electro-optical properties of PDLC at different temperatures. Based on the experimental results, doping of Span-80 can reduce the driving voltage and shorten the recovery time of PDLC at low temperatures. This innovation not only enhances the operational stability of PDLC devices at low temperatures, but also provides a sustainable optoelectronic architecture with minimized power consumption and accelerated switching dynamics, which is particularly beneficial for smart windows operating in low-temperature environments. In addition, a ball lubrication model is proposed, and the results of the ideal model agree with the experimental results.

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