Dual‐Functional Transparent Projection Film with Privacy Protection via Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Polymer Networks
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Transparent projection screens are widely used across various industries for applications that require overlaying digital content onto real-world environments while maintaining high transparency. However, existing technologies face challenges in balancing transparency, projection quality, and privacy protection. In this work, a novel transparent projection screen is based on cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) polymer networks is developed. The CLC networks are designed and fabricated to have a small birefringence to achieve a narrow bandwidth. This allows a selective reflection of designed colors for full-color projection, while allowing other light to transmit. The CLC films, designed with multi-layer CLC networks, selectively reflect red, green, and blue light to achieve high-quality full-color projection while maintaining transparency. The tri-layer CLC film demonstrates an average transparency of 70.2% and a color gamut covering 112% of the sRGB standard, ensuring vibrant and accurate color reproduction. To incorporate privacy protection, a hexa-layer CLC structure is developed, reflecting ≈100% of RGB light and preventing interior light from escaping, while still allowing ambient outdoor light to pass through. This dual functionality highlights the potential of CLC-based transparent projection films for applications in secure communication, immersive displays, and advanced visual technologies where both transparency and privacy are essential.
Authors: Jiahui Dong, Dirk J. Broer, Danqing Liu
Institution: Eindhoven University of Technology
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,550
OpenAlex ID: W4409583950