Liquid-crystal optical shutter for stained glass and windows

Introduction. Liquid crystal as a nanomaterial has found application in science, engineering and technologies. The unique physical properties of liquid crystals make them sensitive to external influences. The article presents the results of an experimental study of the flexoelectric effect in a liquid crystal, when shear deformations occur, thin layers of which can serve as an optical shutter for the stained glass windows of buildings. Materials and methods. Nematic liquid crystals with a homeotropic orientation of molecules 10÷100 μm thick were used by the birefringence method. Shear frequency 1 kHz. Methods. The experimental cell was assembled from two glass plates in the form of a flat capacitor, spacers were placed between the glasses, which set the sample thickness. A source of shear vibrations was located on the side of the microscope stage, which was connected to the LC cell using a thin waveguide. Results and discussion. According to the geometry of the problem, the director is headed vertically parallel to the Z axis, the velocity vector of the plate vibrations is horizontal along the X axis. The orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the volume is characterized by the angle 0. An elastic-viscous wave propagates between the moving and stationary substrates of the LC cell, which leads to a perturbation of the initial homeotropic orientation of the director field. The dependences of the first and second harmonics of the shear-induced EMF, as well as the optical signal, on the plate oscillation speed are obtained. They have a threshold nature of occurrence at a critical speed uc~8 mm/s, while the liquid crystal molecules are oriented at an angle θс. The temperature dependences of EMF harmonics far from the nematic - isotropic liquid phase transition showed that when approaching the phase transition, the regression of the signal U1ω stops, and then its value increases up to the temperature transition of the nematic - isotropic state TNI. The magnitude of the optical signal I2ω/Io(T), approaching the phase transition, increases, which is explained by the increase in the amplitude of the director oscillation Θd. Conclusion. The article considers the flexoelectric effect observed in thin layers of nematic liquid crystals with homeotropic orientation of molecules placed between two glass plates. The occurrence of the effect has a threshold character, the critical strain rate is about 8 mm/s. The conditions and parameters of the effect (shear amplitude, sample temperature) on a condenser cell for various liquid crystals are considered. It is proposed to use the results obtained to create an optical shutter (shutter) for stained glass windows or windows of buildings and structures.