24 of the liquid crystal material are formed in the matrix 26 of the polymer the droplets are fairly uniform in size and are dispersed throughout the polymerized matrix in a generally uniform manner this manner of formation of the droplets of the liquid crystal material has significant advantages over prior methods where the droplets were formed largely by mechanical means formation from solution ensures a uniform spatial distribution of the droplets and a uniform size while mechanically formed droplets tend to have a more nonuniform distribution and a greater range of sizes the present approach also permits easier preparation of the composite material as the mixing need only extend to achieving full solution not to achieving a uniform array of droplets by mechanical means the following examples are presented to illustrate aspects of the invention and should not be taken as limiting of the invention in any respect four parts by volume of 2 hydroxypropyl acrylate monomer were mixed with a sufficient amount of the photoinitiator benzophenone to account for 2 percent by weight of the total of the acrylate liquid the liquid crystal and the initiator one part of the cyanobiphenyl liquid crystal mixture ro tn 570 available from hoffmann laroche was added to the monomer the composition of the ro tn 570 mixture is.