Effects of silver nanoparticle doping on the electro-optical properties of polymer stabilized liquid crystal devices

Polymer stabilised liquid crystal (PSLC) devices are widely used in various smart light modulation occasions. Their electro-optical properties can still be improved to address future challenges. It is well known that doping liquid crystal (LC) materials with nanoparticles can change the material’s electro-optical performance. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with size about 15–20 nm and surfactant were doped into PSLC devices. The effects of AgNPs doping on the PSLC electro-optical performances were studied. The result shows that AgNPs and surfactant doping can increase the dielectric anisotropy of LC mixture. PSLC devices with AgNPs doping have lower driving voltage and response time than un-doped PSLC devices. Therefore, doping of a specific concentration of AgNPs resulted in PSLC devices with improved electro-optical performance.