Polarisation switching and molecular relaxation behaviour of anthraquinone dye-dispersed polymer-stabilised ferroelectric liquid crystal composites

Guest–host polymer-stabilised ferroelectric liquid crystal (GH-PSFLC) composite films have been prepared with dispersion of small concentration (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 wt%) of anthraquinone blue dye in PSFLC host matrix via a polymerisation-induced phase separation (PIPS) process. The variation in alignment and size of twisted fibril has been observed in the optical textures of the guest–host composites with different wt/wt ratio of anthraquinone dye. The electrical and dielectric properties of PSFLC mixture and its guest–host derivatives are studied. Our results showed that an optimum amount of dye concentration (0.1 wt%) enhances the dielectric permittivity as well as the spontaneous polarisation of the GH-PSFLC material in the SmC* phase.