Nuclear magnetic resonance study of epoxy- based polymer-dispersed liquid crystal droplets

In this work, polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) samples were prepared and studied by nuclear magnetic resonance. Proton NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxations of 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl(5CB) and p-methoxybenzylidene-p-n-butylaniline (MBBA) liquid crystals confined in microdroplets were measured. The experimental results were compared with those of the liquid crystals in the pores of silica-gels and with those of the mixing components. The experimental results indicated that the nematic ordering in the microdroplets differed markedly from that observed in bulk nematic crystals. In addition, we examined spin-lattice relaxation mechanisms. The proton spin-lattice relaxation mechanisms in bulk nematic liquid crystals are well established. However, when nematic liquid crystals are confined in microdroplets, the relaxation mechanisms are expected to be affected. We examined possible relaxation mechanisms to explain the observed increase in the spin-lattice relaxation rate of liquid crystals confined in microdroplets