Fabrication and characterization of imprinted photonic crystalline polymer matrices via multiple UV polymerizations

A photonic polymer network was imprinted using multiple UV-induced polymerizations in the presence of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs). Here, the imprinted polymer matrices provided a chiral environment due to the chirality of the polymer networks. The fabricated cell exhibited Bragg reflections even in the absence of anisotropic materials. Moreover, a phototunable liquid crystal cell was fabricated with photosensitive liquid crystalline ethyl 4-[4-(11-acryloyloxy undecyloxy) phenyl azobenzoyl-oxyl] benzoate. The tuning properties of the cells were examined as a function of the irradiation time and concentration of the photosensitive material. Both the tuning rate and dark relaxation of E-Z photoisomerization of the embedded LCs in the polymer network were also examined.