Superior electro-optics of nano-phase encapsulated liquid crystals utilizing functionalized carbon nanotubes

Nano-size distribution of birefringent liquid crystal droplets embedded in the polymer matrix gives rise to an optically isotropic liquid crystal (OILC) phase and the device utilizing OILC composite opens the possibility of alignment layer-free, flexible liquid crystal displays with fast response time. However, few critical issues such as high operating voltages and feeble light scattering are remained to be overcome before their widespread applications. To rectify the drawbacks, a small amount of conductive and anisotropic functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) is doped into conventional OILCs. Consequently, switchable electro-optic properties of the proposed approach reveal that driving voltage is decreased by18.7%, response time becomes fast by 27%, and feeble light leakage is reduced to around 3.8 times, compared to conventional one, which helps the proposed approach to be competitive for display and photonic applications of film type of OILCs.