Method for preparing multi-stable electroresponsive smart window

Abstract

A multi-stable electroresponsive smart window and preparation method thereof are disclosed. The multi-stable electroresponsive smart window comprises a first light transmitting conductive substrate, a parallel orientation layer, a positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer, a positive cholesteric texture layer and a second light transmitting conductive substrate disposed in stack successively. The multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure can realize a diversified light transmission state such as colored and transparent state, colored and blur state, colorless and blur state, and colorless and transparent state by changing the magnitude of the access voltage, thereby satisfying the various demands in people's work and life. In addition, the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure has the characteristics of simple production, rich patterns, energy saving and environmental protection, which has good application prospects in the fields of window glass, home glass window and glass curtain wall, and the like.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a multi-stable electroresponsive smart window, comprising the steps of: taking or preparing a first light transmitting conductive substrate, and preparing a positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer on the surface of the first light transmitting conductive substrate; oppositely arranging the side of the first light transmitting conductive substrate on which the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer is prepared to a second light transmitting conductive substrate to prepare a liquid crystal cell; and filling the liquid crystal cell with positive cholesteric texture to prepare a positive cholesteric texture layer; wherein the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer comprises a polymeric monomer of 2% to 10%, a photoinitiator of 0.1% to 2%, a chiral dopant of 8% to 20%, and a positive liquid crystal of 68% to 89.9%; wherein the positive cholesteric texture layer comprises a chiral dopant of 8% to 20% and a positive liquid crystal of 80% to 92%; wherein the chiral dopant used in the positive cholesteric texture layer has the same chirality as the chiral dopant used in the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positive liquid crystal used in the positive cholesteric texture layer is the same as that used in the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer has a thickness of 5 to 50 μm.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positive cholesteric texture layer has a thickness of 5 to 50 μm.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a power supply assembly, wherein the first light transmitting conductive substrate and the second light transmitting conductive substrate are electrically connected to the two poles of the power supply assembly, respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure;

(2) FIG. 2 is the schematic diagram of the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure when no voltage is applied;

(3) FIG. 3 is the schematic diagram of the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure when the access voltage U is equal to 22 v;

(4) FIG. 4 is the schematic diagram of the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure when the access voltage U is equal to 30 v; and

(5) FIG. 5 is the schematic diagram of the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window of the present disclosure when the access voltage U is equal to 130 v.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(6) The concept and the technical effects of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described in combination with the embodiments below to fully understand the objects, features and effects of the present disclosure. It is apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all of the embodiments, based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Embodiment 1

(7) Referring to FIG. 1, the embodiment provides a multi-stable electroresponsive smart window. The embodiment provides a multi-stable electroresponsive smart window comprises a first light transmitting conductive substrate 10, a parallel orientation layer 2, a positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer 3, a positive cholesteric texture layer 4 and a second light transmitting conductive substrate 11 disposed in stack successively. The first light transmitting conductive substrate 10 and the second light transmitting conductive substrate 11 are packaged into a liquid crystal cell by the UV glue doped with spacers 5, and are electrically connected to the power source, respectively.

(8) Referring to FIG. 2, when the access voltage U is equal to 0V, the liquid crystal molecules in the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer 3 and the positive cholesteric texture layer 4 present an arrangement parallel to the cholesteric texture of the light transmitting conductive substrate. At this time, the smart window can only reflect a part of visible light, and has no influence on the light of other wavebands, and thus it is in colored and transparent state.

(9) Referring to FIG. 3, when the access voltage U is equal to 22 v, the liquid crystal molecules of the positive cholesteric texture layer 4 are changed from the orientation parallel to the light transmitting conductive substrate to the focal conic state orientation, while the liquid crystal molecules in the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer 3 still maintains the arrangement parallel to the cholesteric texture of the light transmitting conductive substrate due to the presence of the polymeric network 6, and at that time the smart window is in colored and blurred state. In addition, the smart window can be kept in the colored and blurred state after the external voltage is turned off.

(10) Referring to FIG. 4, when the access voltage U is equal to 30V, as the access voltage increases, the liquid crystal molecules in the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer 3 turns into an arrangement of focal conic state, and at that time the smart window is in a colorless and blurred state.

(11) Referring to FIG. 5, when the access voltage is further increased, and reaches to 130V, the liquid crystal molecules in the positive polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer 3 and the positive cholesteric texture layer 4 will arrange perpendicular to the light transmitting conductive substrate. At that time, the smart window is in a colorless and transparent state due to it can transmit the visible light. In addition, after the external voltage is turned off, the smart window can return to the colored and transparent state.

(12) The embodiment further provides a method for preparing the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window, which comprises the steps of:

(13) In a yellow light environment, taking 4.5 parts by mass of an achiral polymerizable monomer HCM009, 8.48 parts by mass of a levo-chiral dopant S1011, 0.2 parts by mass of a photoinitiator Irgacure-651 and 86.82 parts by mass of a positive liquid crystal HTW138200-100 and placing them into a brown bottle; adding 1 mL of dichloromethane into the brown bottle, stirring at room temperature for 30 min, and then heating at 60° C. for 8 h to completely evaporate dichloromethane, to prepare a mixture A; taking 8.9 parts by mass of a levo-chiral dopant 51011, 91.1 part by mass of a positive liquid crystal HTW138200-100 and placing them into a brown bottle; adding 1 mL of dichloromethane into the brown bottle, stirring at room temperature for 30 min, and then heating at 60° C. for 8 h to completely evaporate dichloromethane, to prepare a mixture B.

(14) Taking a piece of light transmitting conductive substrate (such as ITO conductive glass), and then washing, oxidizing with ozone, spin-coating and rubbing the light transmitting conductive substrate to prepare a light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached; in a yellow light environment, taking the mixture A, a scraping rod and the light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached and then heating to a temperature of 45° C., craping and coating the mixture A on one side of the light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached by the scraping rod, wherein the scraped mixture A may have a thickness of 8 μm; photocuring the scraped mixture A by the ultraviolet light source of 200 W power for 10 minutes to prepare a polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer; taking another clean light transmitting conductive substrate (such as ITO conductive glass), oxidizing the clean light transmitting conductive substrate with ozone, and then bonding with the above-mentioned substrate to which a polymer network stabilized cholesteric texture layer is attached using the UV glue doped with a spacer of 20 μm in diameter to prepare a liquid crystal cell, wherein the polymer network stabilized cholesteric texture layer may dispose between the two substrates; and filling the mixture B into the above liquid crystal cell on a hot stage at 90° C., naturally cooling down to the room temperature to prepare a multi-stable electroresponsive colored smart window.

(15) Among the above compounds, HTW138200-100 is a mixed liquid crystal (purchased from Jiangsu Hecheng Display Technology Co., Ltd.), and the levo-chiral dopant S1011 (purchased from Beijing Bayi Space Liquid Crystal Technology Co., Ltd.) has a chemical structural formula of:

(16) ##STR00001##
and the polymerizable achiral liquid crystal monomer HCM009 (purchased from Jiangsu Hecheng Display Technology Co., Ltd.) has the chemical structural formula of:

(17) ##STR00002##
and photoinitiator Irgacure-651 (purchased from Tianjin Seans Biochemical Technology Co., Ltd), has the chemical structural formula of:

(18) ##STR00003##

Embodiment 2

(19) The embodiment provides a method for preparing the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window, which comprises the steps of:

(20) In a yellow light environment, taking 10 parts by mass of an achiral polymerizable monomer HCM009, 20 parts by mass of a dextro-chiral dopant R811, 2 parts by mass of a photoinitiator Irgacure-819 and 68 parts by mass of a positive liquid crystal E7 and placing them into a brown bottle; adding 1 mL of dichloromethane into the brown bottle, stirring at room temperature for 30 min, and then heating at 60° C. for 8 h to completely evaporate dichloromethane, to prepare a mixture A; taking 20 parts by mass of a dextro-chiral dopant R811, 80 parts by mass of a positive liquid crystal E7 and placing them into a brown bottle, adding 1 mL of dichloromethane into the brown bottle, stirring at room temperature for 30 min, and then heating at 60° C. for 8 h to completely evaporate dichloromethane, to prepare a mixture B.

(21) Taking a piece of light transmitting conductive substrate (such as ITO conductive glass), and then washing, oxidizing with ozone, spin-coating and rubbing the light transmitting conductive substrate to prepare a light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached; in a yellow light environment, taking the mixture A, a scraping rod and the light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached and then heating to a temperature of 45° C., scraping and coating the mixture A on one side of the light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached by the scraping rod, wherein the scraped mixture A may have a thickness of 50 μm; photocuring the scraped mixture A by the ultraviolet light source of 200 W power for 10 minutes to prepare a polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer; taking another clean light transmitting conductive substrate (such as ITO conductive glass), oxidizing the clean light transmitting conductive substrate with ozone, and then bonding with the above-mentioned substrate to which a polymer network stabilized cholesteric texture layer is attached using the UV glue doped with a spacer of 60 μm in diameter to prepare a liquid crystal cell, wherein the polymer network stabilized cholesteric texture layer may dispose between the two substrates; and the filling mixture B into the above liquid crystal cell on a hot stage at 90° C., naturally cooling down to the room temperature to prepare a multi-stable electroresponsive colored smart window.

Embodiment 3

(22) The embodiment provides a method for preparing the multi-stable electroresponsive smart window, which comprises the steps of:

(23) In a yellow light environment, taking 2 parts by mass of an achiral polymerizable monomer HCM009, 8 parts by mass of a dextro-chiral dopant R811, 1 part by mass of a photoinitiator Irgacure-819 and 89 parts by mass of a positive liquid crystal E7 and placing them in a brown bottle; adding 1 mL of dichloromethane into the brown bottle, stirring at room temperature for 30 min, and then heating at 60° C. for 8 h to completely evaporate dichloromethane, to prepare a mixture A; taking 8 parts by mass of a dextro-chiral dopant R811, 92 parts by mass of a positive liquid crystal E7 and placing them in a brown bottle; adding 1 mL of dichloromethane into the brown bottle, stirring at room temperature for 30 min, and then heating at 60° C. for 8 h to completely evaporate dichloromethane, to prepare a mixture B.

(24) Taking a piece of light transmitting conductive substrate (such as ITO conductive glass) and then washing, oxidizing with ozone, spin-coating and rubbing the light transmitting conductive substrate to prepare a light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached; in a yellow light environment, taking the mixture A, a scraping rod and the light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached and then heating to a temperature of 45° C., scraping and coating the mixture A on one side of the light transmitting conductive substrate to which a parallel orientation layer is attached by the scraping rod, wherein the scraped mixture A may have a thickness of 30 μm; photocuring the scraped mixture A by the ultraviolet light source of 200 W power for 10 minutes to prepare a polymer stabilized cholesteric texture layer; taking another clean light transmitting conductive substrate (such as ITO conductive glass), oxidizing the clean light transmitting conductive substrate with ozone, and then bonding with the above-mentioned substrate to which a polymer network stabilized cholesteric texture layer is attached using the UV glue doped with a spacer of 50 μm in diameter to prepare a liquid crystal cell, wherein the polymer network stabilized cholesteric texture layer may dispose between the two substrates; and filling the mixture B into the above liquid crystal cell on a hot stage at 90° C., naturally cooling down to the room temperature to prepare a multi-stable electroresponsive colored smart window.