Low-voltage-driven liquid crystal scattering-controllable device based on defects from rapidly varying boundary

Abstract

In this work, we disclose a method to fabricate an electronically tunable liquid crystal (LC) device that can switch between scattering and transparent state. The light scattering domain is attributed to defects from a rapidly varying boundary based on planar random photo-alignment. Distinct from the LC/polymer composite or haze-control LC elements based on patterned electrodes or a well-designed mask, there is no requirement for a complicated process or other auxiliary additives, as only positive dielectric nematic LCs are required. The device exhibits low driving voltage, small power consumption, and good ability to hide images, where the transparent state only needs a supply of 10 Vrms to offer 7.8% of haze, while with 1.1 Vrms, the device provides 58.7% of haze. The good performance and simple fabrication process reveal enormous promising applications in energy-conservation building, privacy protection, and transparent display.