Diffraction efficiency and I-V characteristics of metal-free phthalocyanine doped nematic liquid crystals

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of the tetra-4-benzyloxyphenoxy substituted metal-free phthalocyanine (H2PC) is reported for the first time. Formation of the photoinduced gratings has been experienced in a metal-free phthalocyanine doped nematic liquid crystal (LC) system and its I-V properties are characterized by electrical measurements. Four samples are prepared at different doping percentages and in homogenously aligned sandwiched geometry. We report the results of two set of experiments on these samples. One of them is the grating diffraction experiment for the analysis of optically induced reorientation process which is a basis for possible holographic applications. Accessible diffraction efficiency is found to be linearly increasing as the amount of the phthalocyanine doping rises. In the scope of the other set of measurements I-V peculiarity of the system is also found to be enhanced and linearly dependent on doping. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.