Polymer dispersed ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal formed by inducing a force during phase separation
US5530566A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 25, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 25, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/1334
- WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Disclosed is a class of light modulating materials comprising microdomains of ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal dispersed in a light-transmissive polymer medium. The microdomains are formed by phase separation of the liquid crystal from solution with the polymer as the polymer is solidified. The switching of the liquid crystal may be either monostable or multistable (e.g., bistable), depending on the liquid crystal and polymer. The material modulates light in either a scattering-transmissive mode or a birefringence mode. Materials operating in the scattering-transmissive mode do not require polarizers, Advantages of the materials include switching times down to the order of microseconds or less, multistable optical states, wide viewing angles and high contrast.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.