Enhancement in electro-optic properties of dynamic scattering systems through addition of dichroic dyes

Abstract

Electro-optic properties of dynamic scattering in homeotropically aligned pure and dichroic dye doped nematic liquid crystal samples are examined. The optical properties of the two systems are quantified using transmission properties of scattered and unscattered as a function of amplitude and frequency of an applied voltage. Auto-correlation of the scattered signal at different applied voltages is used to compare the decay times in the two systems. Lastly, histogram of the scattered signal reveals a wavevector dependent large light scattering event. The dye doped system shows a significant enhancement of light blocking property in both normal and off-axis light propagation. The characteristics of the system are compared to other scattering technologies. The results suggest that dye doped system can overcome shortcomings in scattering based devices used for near eye applications.