Holographic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystals and Polymeric Photonic Crystals Formed by Holographic Photolithography

Thein Kyu; Scott Meng; Hatice Duran; Kumar Nanjundiah; Gregory R. Yandek

Macromolecular Research, Vol.14, No.2, 155-165, April, 2006

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Holographic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystals and Polymeric Photonic Crystals Formed by Holographic Photolithography

Thein Kyu^†, Scott Meng, Hatice Duran, Kumar Nanjundiah, and Gregory R. Yandek

Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-0301, USA

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The present article describes the experimental and theoretical observations on the formation of holo-graphic, polymer-dispersed, liquid crystals and electrically switchable, photonic crystals. A phase diagram of thestarting mixture of nematic liquid crystal and photo-reactive triacrylate monomer was established by means ofdifferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cloud point measurement. Photolithographic patterns were imprintedon the starting mixture of LC/triacrylate via multi-beam interference. A similar study was extended to a dendrimer/photocurative mixture as well as to a single component system (tetra-acrylate). Theoretical modeling and numericalsimulation were carried out based on the combination of Flory-Huggins free energy of mixing and Maier-Saupe freeenergy of nematic ordering. The combined free energy densities were incorporated into the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (Model C) equations coupled with the photopolymerization rate equation to elucidate the spatio-temporalstructure growth. The 2-D photonic structures thus simulated were consistent with the experimental observations.Furthermore, 3-D simulation was performed to guide the fabrication of assorted photonic crystals under variousbeam-geometries. Electro-optical performance such as diffraction efficiency was evaluated during the patternphotopolymerization process and also as a function of driving voltage.

Keywords:polymer-dispersed liquid crystals;photonic crystals;photolithographic

[References]

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Tondiglia VP, Natarajan LV, Sutherland RL, Tomlin D, Bunning TJ, Adv. Mater., 14, 187 (2002)
Mucha M, Prog. Polym. Sci, 28, 837 (2003)
Bunning TJ, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Dougherty G, Sutherland RL, J. Polym. Sci. B: Polym. Phys., 35(17), 2825 (1997)
Bunning TJ, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Sutherland RL, Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci., 30, 830 (2000)
De Sarkar M, Gill NL, Whitehead JB, Crawford GP, Macromolecules, 36(3), 630 (2003)
Kyu T, Domasius N, Chiu HW, Phys. Rev. E, 63, 061802 (2001)
Sutherland RL, Tondiglia VP, Natarajan LV, Bunning TJ, J. Appl. Phys., 96, 951 (2004)
Meng S, Kyu T, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Sutherland RL, Bunning TJ, Macromolecules, 38(11), 4844 (2005)
Flory PJ, J. Chem. Phys., 10, 51 (1942)
Huggins ML, J. Phys. Chem., 46, 151 (1942)
Maier W, Saupe AZ, Naturforsch., 13a, 564 (1958)
Gunton JD, San Miguel M, Sahni PS, Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena; Academic Press, New York (1983)
Meng S, Nanjundiah K, Kyu T, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Bunning TJ, Macromolecules, 37(10), 3792 (2004)
Shen CS, Kyu T, J. Chem. Phys., 102(1), 556 (1995)
Nanjundiah K, Master’s Thesis, The University of Akron (2003)
Dusek K, J. Polym. Sci. C: Polym. Symp., 16, 1289 (1967)
Dusek K, Prins W, Adv. Polym. Sci., 6, 1 (1969)
Boots HM, Kloosterboer JG, Serbutoviez C, Touwslager FJ, Macromolecules, 29(24), 7683 (1996)
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[Referenced By]

[1] Yablonovitch E, Phys. Rev. Lett., 58, 2059 (1987)

[2] John S, Phys. Rev. Lett., 58, 2486 (1987)

[3] Joannopoulous JD, Meade RD, Winn JN, Photonic Crystals, Princeton University Press, New York (1995)

[4] Lin SY, Chow E, Hietala V, Villeneuve PR, Joannopoulous JD, Science, 282, 274 (1998)

[5] Campbell M, Sharp DN, Harrison MT, Denning RG, Turberfield AJ, Nature, 404(6773), 53 (2000)

[6] Tondiglia VP, Natarajan LV, Sutherland RL, Tomlin D, Bunning TJ, Adv. Mater., 14, 187 (2002)

[7] Mucha M, Prog. Polym. Sci, 28, 837 (2003)

[8] Bunning TJ, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Dougherty G, Sutherland RL, J. Polym. Sci. B: Polym. Phys., 35(17), 2825 (1997)

[9] Bunning TJ, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Sutherland RL, Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci., 30, 830 (2000)

[10] De Sarkar M, Gill NL, Whitehead JB, Crawford GP, Macromolecules, 36(3), 630 (2003)

[11] Kyu T, Domasius N, Chiu HW, Phys. Rev. E, 63, 061802 (2001)

[12] Sutherland RL, Tondiglia VP, Natarajan LV, Bunning TJ, J. Appl. Phys., 96, 951 (2004)

[13] Meng S, Kyu T, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Sutherland RL, Bunning TJ, Macromolecules, 38(11), 4844 (2005)

[14] Flory PJ, J. Chem. Phys., 10, 51 (1942)

[15] Huggins ML, J. Phys. Chem., 46, 151 (1942)

[16] Maier W, Saupe AZ, Naturforsch., 13a, 564 (1958)

[17] Gunton JD, San Miguel M, Sahni PS, Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena; Academic Press, New York (1983)

[18] Meng S, Nanjundiah K, Kyu T, Natarajan LV, Tondiglia VP, Bunning TJ, Macromolecules, 37(10), 3792 (2004)

[19] Shen CS, Kyu T, J. Chem. Phys., 102(1), 556 (1995)

[20] Nanjundiah K, Master’s Thesis, The University of Akron (2003)

[21] Dusek K, J. Polym. Sci. C: Polym. Symp., 16, 1289 (1967)

[22] Dusek K, Prins W, Adv. Polym. Sci., 6, 1 (1969)

[23] Boots HM, Kloosterboer JG, Serbutoviez C, Touwslager FJ, Macromolecules, 29(24), 7683 (1996)

[24] Flory PJ, Erman B, Macromolecules, 15, 800 (1982)

[25] Yandek GT, Ph. D. Dissertation, The University of Akron (2005)

[26] Sutherland RL, Tondiglia VP, Natarajan LV, Bunning TJ, Appl. Phys. Lett., 79, 1420 (2001)