A facile fabrication of ultrahigh haze optical diffuser using nematic liquid crystal encapsulated by cellulose acetate biopolymer

Abstract

Abstract Polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are materials for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In this work, free-standing optical diffusers based on PDLC are formed by liquid crystals (LCs) and cellulose acetate polymer network. The micron and submicron-sized liquid crystal droplets embedded in the matrix of cellulose acetate biopolymer act as scattering particles, leading to an efficient diffused transmission of the incident laser beam. By optimizing the concentration of LC and polymer, the optical characterizations of the fabricated PDLC films reveal an ultrahigh haze value ( ≈ 99 %) and broad angular distribution of transmitted light with the full width of half maxima up to 114°. The film fabricated with 55 wt % LC results in a light transmitted profile similar to the ideal light diffusing surface with Lambertian distribution. Furthermore, the technique employed to develop the films offers a straightforward and inexpensive fabrication process of light-diffusing films for a high-performance foldable optoelectronic device.