Abstract
Directly written by a ultra-short femto-second laser pulse, we report the phase separation and pattern formation induced by polymerization in a liquid-crystal-monomer mixture. By varying the scanning speed of optical fields along a line, pattern transitions of photon-induced polymer structures are illustrated in shapes of double-humped, single-humped, and broken stripes. The experimental data collected by optical microscopic images are in a good agreement with numerical simulations based on a modified set of coupled 2 + 1 dimensional diffusion equations. The demonstration in this work provides a step for controlling phase separation morphologies as well as transferring patterns in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1494-1501 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Optical Materials Express |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Dec 2011 |