Optimization of Electro-Optical Properties of Acrylate-based Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystals for use in Transparent Conductive ZITO/Ag/ZITO Multilayer Films

ZITO/Ag/ZITO multilayer transparent electrodes at room temperature on glass substrates were prepared using RF/DC magnetron sputtering. Transparent conductive films with a sheet resistance of 9.4 Omega/m(2) and a transmittance of 83.2% at 550 nm were obtained for the multilayer structure comprising ZITO/Ag/ZITO (100/8/42 nm). The sheet resistance and transmittance of ZITO/Ag/ZITO multilayer films meant that they would be highly applicable for use in polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)-based smart windows due to the ability to effectively block infrared rays (heat rays) and thereby act as an energy-saving smart glass. Effects of the thickness of the PDLC layer and the intensity of ultraviolet light (UV) on electro-optical properties, photopolymerization kinetics, and morphologies of difunctional urethane acrylate-based PDLC systems were investigated using new transparent conducting electrodes. A PDLC cell photo-cured using UV at an intensity of 2.0 mW/cm(2) with a 15 mu m-thick PDLC layer showed outstanding off-state opacity, good on-state transmittance, and favorable driving voltage. Also, the PDLC-based smart window optimized in this study formed liquid crystal droplets with a favorable microstructure, having an average size range of 2-5 mu m for scattering light efficiently, which could contribute to its superior final performance.