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Cavity Morphology of Polymer Dispersed System Utilizing Atomic Force Microscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Adam K. Fontecchio,
Gregory P. Crawford and
David Content
Adam K. Fontecchio
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Division of Engineering, Brown University Providence, RI 02912, USA
Gregory P. Crawford
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Division of Engineering, Brown University Providence, RI 02912, USA
David Content
Affiliation:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
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Abstract

Holographically-formed Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal have been imaged using atomic force microscopy (AFM) tapping techniques to study the droplet cavity morphology. Reflection-mode Bragg gratings were created using a 532 nm beam expanded laser to holographically form a grating structure within the liquid crystal / polymer film. The films were removed from their glass substrates prior to imaging by an atomic force microscope, and the digital files were analyzed. The surface structure is not smooth, as anticipated, but contains cavities with a dimpled morphology. We report our investigations and analysis including AFM images, image analysis, and liquid crystal / polymer alignment considerations.

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References

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