Smart windows are very attractive because they not only provide comfortable indoor conditions for cars and buildings, but also protect privacy. However, current smart windows have problems such as high energy consumption, slow response time, and poor stability. To solve these problems, a single‐step dual stabilization (SSDS) is newly proposed for the fabrication of robust liquid crystal (LC) smart windows switching fast at low voltage. Upon irradiating ultraviolet light on the selected area of the nematic (N) LC optical cell with photoisomerizable macrogelators (B3AZ) and photopolymerizable monomers, NLC physical gels (LCPGs) and partition walls are simultaneously constructed. LCPGs play a role of light shutter under a low electric field (9.6 Vpp) which is ten times lower than that of the conventional polymer‐stabilized LC‐based smart windows. Partition walls constructed by the selected area photopolymerization significantly enhance the mechanical stabilities. Based on the experimental results, it is realized that the NLC layer generated near the partition walls makes the LCPGs respond to a low voltage. Robust SSDS smart windows could open new doors for the development of high‐performance smart windows.
The speciation of quaternary ammonium polybromides (QBr2n+1) was quantitatively determined by voltammetric tribromide titration on a Pt ultramicroelectrode (UME). The concentration of Br3- in a QBr2n+1-water mixed solution (QBr2n+1-WMS) was electrochemically estimated by measuring the steady state current associated with the electro-reduction of Br3- in a linear sweep voltammogram (LSV). The pBr3- titration curves of QBr2n+1-WMSs show 2-4 plateaus, each of which relates to the formation of QBr2n+1 from Br3- and Br2. The values of pBr3- at these plateaus can be regarded as corrected equilibrium constants of QBr2n+1, K'eq(n), which is Keq(n)/γ±, where γ± is a mean activity coefficient in QBr2n+1-WMS. Based on the estimated K'eq(n), fractional diagrams of QBr2n+1 were obtained, which gave information on QBr2n+1 speciation.
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