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The optical behavior of lyotropic liquid crystalline polymer gel networks: Dependence on temperature
Author(s) -
Seeboth Arno,
Holzbauer HansRainer
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.19960080507
Subject(s) - lyotropic , materials science , schlieren , polymer , aqueous solution , lyotropic liquid crystal , texture (cosmology) , polymer network , phase (matter) , chemical engineering , liquid crystal , optics , liquid crystalline , composite material , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , image (mathematics) , physics , artificial intelligence , engineering , chemistry , computer science
Gel networks with interesting optical properties have been prepared on the basis of a highly ordered aqueous polymer lyotropic liquid crystalline phase, embedded in a thermally stable polymer network. The optical transparency changes reversibly with an increasing or decreasing temperature of a few degrees up to a contrast ratio of 85:1. Different lyotropic phases exist in close proximity in the system, for example a schlieren texture (see Figure) and a radial droplet structure.