Nematic curvilinear aligned phase

To form cholesteric liquid crystalline polymers, one either polymerizes cholesteric monomers or mixes low molecular mass cholesteric liquid crystals with polymers. In the latter case, two components may be mixed homogeneously or in such a way that the polymers act as a matrix while the small molecular mass cholesteric liquid crystals are in droplets, known as the polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) (Doane et al., 1988) or the nematic curvilinear aligned phase (NCAP) (Fergason, 1985). In addition, there are many polymers in nature exhibiting the cholesteric phase such as PBLG, cellulose, DNA, etc. 

H.-S. Kitzerow, Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals, from the nematic curvilinear aligned phase to ferroelectric films, Liq. Cryst. 16, 1 (1994). 

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