Domain structure and switching behavior of anisotropic gels

Experimental evidence is given for the existence of two types of optically anisotropic gels prepared from mixtures of liquid-crystalline monomers and nonreactive liquid crystal (LC). In type 1 gels, the polymer network is present as an irregular mesh of fine fibrils within the LC. In type 2 gels the liquid crystal is confined in domains separated by thin polymer walls. The switching properties are characterized by the voltage dependence of the transmission and the birefringence and by the time dependence of the transmission response on an instantaneous voltage switch. A theoretical model is introduced to relate the differences in the switching behavior of the two types of gels to their different morphologies.