Preparation of the colorful retroreflective film based on the polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal

A cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) mixture was prepared using a photoisomerizable chiral dopant and acrylates. With extending the irradiation time of a 365-nm UV light, the Bragg reflection band of the CLC mixture shifted to long wavelength. After photopolymerization, a polymer-stabilized CLC (PSCLC) film was obtained. The colorful PSCLC patterns with glass microspheres on the surface were prepared by controlling the competition between the photoisomerization of the chiral dopant and the photopolymerization of the acrylates. Due to the retroreflective property, the patterned PSCLC films can be applied as the traffic signs and for advertisement.