Can smart glass/film be remotely activated?
Yes, smart glass/film can be remotely activated. Transformer can be integrated with various controls as you like: remote contol, wall switch control, dimmer control, wifi-App control, etc.
Are PDLCs only available as artificial materials?
Not at all; common examples of natural occurrences of liquid crystals include proteins, soaps, detergents, and even some types of clay.
Is smart glass/film a safety glass?
Yes, smart glass/film is a safety glass. Being laminated, it prevents scattering of glass fragments in case of breakage.
Why is PDLC considered to be smart?
The smartness of PDLCs is a result of its ability to change its transparency (technically called the transmittance) when an electrical stimulus is applied to it. This is normally by way of an alternating voltage, which exerts an alternating electric field across the PDLC material.
Nevertheless, the PDLC is only as smart as the control system which stimulates the change, which can be driven by a push button switch, a light sensor, or a building automation system.
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.