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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars effects on the thermal-transport properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals
M Kuriakose1, S Longuemart1, M Depriester1
1Univ. Lille Nord de France, F-59000, France; ULCO, UDSMM, F-59140 Dunkerque, France; and Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires, EA 4476, F-59140 Dunkerque, France.
Abstract:
We present the depolarization field effects (Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars effect) for the thermal transport properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal composites under a frequency-dependent electric field. The experiments were conducted on polystyrene/4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (PS/5CB) PDLCs of 73 vol.% and 85 vol.% liquid crystal (LC) concentrations. A self-consistent field approximation model is used to deduce the electrical properties of polymer and LC materials as well as the threshold electric field. Electric field-varying (at constant frequency) experiments were also conducted to calculate the interfacial thermal resistance between the LC droplets and polymer matrix as well as to find the elastic constant of LCs in droplet form.
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