Are PDLCs only available as artificial materials?

Does PDLC smart glass become opaque?

No, the correct term is translucent, since light still gets through, albeit scattered in many directions. The glass would be opaque only if the light was blocked or absorbed.

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What is the structure of PDLC glass?

PDLC smart glass is composed of :
Outermost panels of normal float glass (or sometimes acrylic) sandwiched around:
Inner panels of optically clear PET plastic (polyethylene terephthalate), sandwiched around:
ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) which is a transparent conductor, sandwiched around:
a PDLC core comprised of liquid crystal droplets, suspended in a polymer.

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Why does PDLC require a polymer?

The polymer allows the liquid crystals to be embedded into a film, which can then be sandwiched between panels of glass or plastic. The polymer has constant optical properties which do not vary across its structure, and hence is considered isotropic.
In contrast, the liquid crystal itself is anisotropic, since its optical characteristics are not constant across its structure, but rather can vary under application of an electric field.

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Why does PDLC require a polymer?

The polymer allows the liquid crystals to be embedded into a film, which can then be sandwiched between panels of glass or plastic. The polymer has constant optical properties which do not vary across its structure, and hence is considered isotropic.
In contrast, the liquid crystal itself is anisotropic, since its optical characteristics are not constant across its structure, but rather can vary under application of an electric field.

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How to make the busbars for smart film?

Tools：Dust-free cloth, Square resistance meter, Tape measure, Alcohol, Solder, Scissors, Film spliter, Copper foil, Tape, Brush, Silver paste, Marker pen, Squeegee, Electric soldering iron, Heat gun,Pins, Pliers
Step1: Film preparation.Lay the smart film on the glass table.
Step2: Mark busbars position.Measure and mark the position of the busbar according to the drawings on the side that busbar to be installed. The distance between the two busbars is 5-10cm and each busbar should be as long as possible.
Step3: Cut upper layer PET.Align the edge of the smart film with the glass, start from one end with the film splitter, and cut the upper layer of PET to the marked position.
Step4: Wipe off liquid crystal. Use a dust-free cloth dipped in alcohol to wipe off the liquid crystal exposed after cutting off the PET.
Note: Wipe gently, not only to remove all the liquid crystal , but also not to damage the conductive ITO.
Step5: Check ITO resistance. Use the square resistance meter to select at least 3 different points to measure the ITO after wiping, and the value should be less than 250 ohm, otherwise, the ITO may be damaged and thus the smart film may not work properly.
Step6: Apply tape. Stick the tape at a distance of 5-6mm from the edge of the film to cover the liquid crystal between the lower layer of ITO and the upper layer of PET, so as to prevent the silver paste from applying this gap and causing a short circuit.
Step7: Apply silver paste evenly to cleaned ITO.
Step8: Dry the silver paste with the heat gun. The heating temperature is about 70-100℃.
Step9: Tear off the tape pasted after heating.
Step10: Apply the copper foil carefully on the dried silver paste.
Step12: Cut off the excess part of the copper foil. In order to avoid the edges from lifting, the sharp corners of both the copper foil and the smart film are cut off.
Step13: Turn the smart film over and make another busbar according to the previous steps.
Step14: Pinning: use pliers to drive the pin into the connecting copper foil and smart film to make sure the copper foil stay with smart film.At least 2 pins for each busbars.
Step15: Solder the leads: Use a soldering iron to solder leads of the suitable length on the pin.
Step16: Power-on test: 1. Continuous power-on, power-off cycle 10 times; 2. Continuous power-on for 20 minutes. After test, check if there's any defect such as over heat and black spots.
Step17: Roll up the smart film for transport or storage.
If you want to get more informaion, please feel free to visit globalsmartglass.com.
https://globalsmartglass.com:Switch the smart glass,switch to a new world.

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Why does PDLC glass scatter light?

The liquid crystals change their refractive index in relation to the isotropically transparent polymer in which they are immersed, thereby creating multiple step boundaries throughout the PDLC.
It is this change in refractive index at each boundary which causes light to change course. Since the PDLC material contains millions of liquid crystals, each with a boundary facing a slightly different way, the light is scattered in many directions.
The net effect is to hide whatever is behind the PDLC smart glass.

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