Electro-rheological effect of blends composed of two liquid crystalline materials: composition dependence

The electro-rheological (ER) effect of blends composed of two liquid crystalline materials (polymer and oligomer) with varying volumes of each component is discussed in this article. The results indicated that the ER effect of each blend was observed at a different temperature range. The blends showed better ER response to an applied electric field compared with each neat sample. Also investigated is the behaviour of the liquid crystalline oligomer in the isotropic polymer under an applied electric field, by polarising optical microscope observation. This study demonstrates the importance of a host matrix in blend systems on ER effect.