Polymerisation Quenchers

Figure 9. Width of the reflection band as a Junction of time for samples containing various amounts of excite state quencher during polymerisation at UV intensity of ImW/cm, ...

Figure 9 shows that increase in the excited state quencher concentration gives rise to an increased width of the reflection band. The fact that intensity plays a very important role indicates the competition between the phase separation process which causes the increase as opposed to the polymerisation speed which tends to freeze in the structure and the pitch present within the system. Such a pitch gradient has been observed in polymerized acrylate networks (9). In the case of studies of other gels, the band broadening occurred as the system phase separated into two regions containing liquid crystal and the liquid crystal swollen network. 

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