Preparation of PSLCs

PSLCs are usually made from mixtures of liquid crystals and monomers. The monomer ean be directly dissolved in the liquid crystal. Although any type of polymerization method ean be used, photo-initiated polymerization is fast and is usually used. The monomer is usually 

Monomers to be used in PSLCs preferably have a rigid core and flexible tails. They form anisotropic fibril-like networks. If the monomer does not have flexible tails, it forms a bead-like structure which is not stable under perturbations such as externally applied fields. If the monomer does not have a rigid core and is flexible, it can still form anisotropic networks. 

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