Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal structures with substituent functional group to alignment within liquid crystal material body into polydomain state

A polymer-dispersed, cholesteric, liquid crystal system, comprising:

• a continuous polymer structure having defined therein a plurality of discrete bodies of liquid crystal material, said bodies of liquid crystal material exhibiting a polydomain state in which the liquid crystal material within each body is arranged in multiple domains, the bodies of liquid crystal having a bulk volume which is free of polymer networks or walls, each domain being defined by a quantity of liquid crystal material whose molecules exhibit a helical structure having a substantially common identifiable alignment in one axis,
• wherein the resolved alignments of neighbouring domains diverge substantially from one another and are stable over time, and wherein at an interface between a liquid crystal body and the surrounding polymer structure, where the local surface of said polymer structure at said interface defines a local plane, the molecular structure at said local surface of the polymer structure influences the liquid crystal molecules to take on an alignment which diverges from said local plane of said local polymer surface,
• wherein the total polymer/liquid crystal interface area corresponding to a centimeter square of viewing surface, and expressed in units of centimeters square, where X is a film's cell gap and Y is a film's fraction of liquid crystal by weight, is in the range of 1,714XY to 24,000XY;
• more preferably in the range of 2,400XY to 20,000XY;
• and most preferably in the range of 3,429XY to 20,000XY,
• wherein said molecular structure at said polymer surface comprises substituent functional groups extending from the polymer backbone into the liquid crystal material, and
• wherein said substituent functional groups cause said mutually divergent alignment within the liquid crystal material.