Holographic gratings have been fabricated in networked polyurethane
acrylates with various cross-linking densities. It was found that low
(f = 2) and
high (f = 6) functionality monomers gave narrow and clean polymer–liquid crystal
(LC) phase separation due presumably to the insufficient migration of LC
molecules out of the polymer domains. However, the mechanisms leading
to poor phase separation seem different, i.e., reaction at a slow rate for
f = 2, and entrapment of LC molecules within highly networked polymer for
f = 6. With intermediate
monomer functionality (f = 3), relatively large channels with large LC droplets gave the greatest diffraction
due to a large difference in refractive index between polymer and LC phases.