Abstract

Smart beams play a vital role in modern intelligent vehicles and have recently attracted significant attention. A spatial light modulator with high optical efficiency, low cost, and compact size is crucial for designing smart beams. Here, we mix cholesteric liquid crystals with dichroic black dye and a monomer. After UV polymerization, the sample exhibits a low driving voltage of 26 V, a high transmittance of over 70%, and an On-off ratio over 280, thanks to the joint contribution of both the absorption and the scattering effect. A smart beam device is demonstrated by electrically addressing the dye-doped and polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal with pixelated electrodes. Light patterns with arbitrary designs are projected dynamically. The switching time reaches several tens of milliseconds. This strategy brings new designs to intelligent vehicles and may also inspire applications in public information displays, advertising, and even AR/VR displays.

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