Effect of functionality of thiol on the optical properties of liquid crystals/polymer composite films

Optical diffusers with high transmission, high haze and excellent diffusing ability are widely needed in backlight unit (BLU) of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). However, there are still drawbacks in the particles-doped optical diffusers, including the distribution of the scattered particles due to agglomeration of particles and complex coating process. In this paper, polymer/liquid crystal (LC) composite films which are based on the epoxy resins, polyamine (PA) and varied thiol monomers were firstly prepared by thermally initiated polymerisation. The morphologies and optical properties of the composite films were systematically investigated. By controlling the functionality of thiol in the system of epoxy resins/thiol/PA/LCs, as the light scattering of anisotropic LCs and isotropic polymer framework is both achieved in the optical diffusers, good diffusing ability and high visible transmission (total transmission >96.0% and transmission haze > 95.0%) are obtained.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the preparation and optical properties of polymer/liquid crystal composite films based on epoxy resins, polyamine, and thiol monomers. By controlling the functionality of thiol, the composite films achieve good diffusing ability and high visible transmission.