Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals
Liquid crystals with low molecular weight can be mixed with high molecular weight polymers, followed by phase-separation to form a kind of spongy matrix filled with LC droplets. An external electric field can align the LC to match its index with that of the polymer matrix, switching that cell from a milky (scattering) state to a clear transparent state. When dichroic dyes are dissolved in the LC an electric field can switch the PDLC from an absorbing state to a fairly transparent state.
When the amount of polymer is small compared to that of the LC there will be no separation of both components, but the polymer forms an anisotropic fiber-like network within the LC that stabilizes the state in which it has been formed. In such a way, certain physical properties (e.g. elasticities, viscosities, and thus threshold voltages and response times, respectively) can be controlled.
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Read more about this topic: LCD Classification
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