Anisotropic composite comprising a mixture of a polymeric network and an inorganic material

• US 20030015688A1
• Filed: 07/03/2002
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hikmet, Rifat Ata Mustafa
• Granted Patent: US 6,833,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 252/299.01
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/542 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/544 as dispersing or encapsulating medium around the liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/02 Alignment layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/03 Viewing layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31511 Of epoxy ether
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31533 Of polythioether

Abstract

The invention pertains to an anisotropic composite comprising a mixture of a) an anisotropic oriented polymeric network with one or more binding moieties obtainable from a liquid crystalline monomer or a liquid crystalline mixture of monomers, at least one of the monomers comprising a polymerizable group selected from acrylate, epoxy, oxetane, vinyl ether, and thiolene, and b) an inorganic material, characterized in that the network has an order parameter S greater than 0.01 and that the inorganic material is a substantially water-insoluble inorganic salt, a free metal particle, or a mixture thereof.

Claims

1. An anisotropic composite comprising a mixture of a) an anisotropic oriented polymeric network with one or more binding moieties obtainable from a liquid crystalline monomer or a liquid crystalline mixture of monomers, at least one of the monomers comprising a polymerizable group selected from acrylate, epoxy, oxetane, vinyl ether, and thiolene, and b) an inorganic material, characterized in that the network has an order parameter S greater than 0.01 and that the inorganic material is a substantially water-insoluble inorganic salt, a free metal particle, or a mixture thereof.

2. The anisotropic composite of claim 1 wherein the order parameter S is greater than 0.1, preferably greater than 0.4.

3. The anisotropic composite of claim 1 or 2 wherein the binding group comprises a COOH, pyridine, or polyether moiety.

4. The anisotropic composite of any one of claims 1-3 wherein the inorganic material is a conductor or a semi-conductor.

5. The anisotropic composite of any one of claims 1-4 having a nematic, smectic, discotic or chiral nematic structure.

8. A method for manufacturing the anisotropic composite of any one of claims 1-5 wherein the metal salt of the intermediate anisotropic oriented network product obtained by the method of claim 6 or 7 is converted to a substantially water-insoluble metal salt, a free metal particle, or a mixture thereof.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the intermediate anisotropic oriented network product is obtained by polymerizing the liquid crystalline monomer or the liquid crystalline mixture of polymers in the absence of the metal salt to an anisotropic oriented polymeric network with one or more binding moieties, followed by mixing said network with the metal salt.

10. An optical device comprising the anisotropic composite of any one of claims 1-5.

6. A method for manufacturing an intermediate anisotropic oriented network product having one or more binding moieties, comprising polymerizing a liquid crystalline monomer or a liquid crystalline mixture of monomers, at least one of the monomers comprising a polymerizable group selected from acrylate, epoxy, oxetane, vinyl ether, and thiolene, in the presence of a metal salt to the anisotropic oriented intermediate polymeric network, or polymerizing the liquid crystalline monomer or the liquid crystalline mixture of polymers in the absence of the metal salt to an anisotropic oriented oriented polymeric network with one or more binding moieties, followed by mixing said network with the metal salt, to obtain the intermediate anisotropic oriented network product.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the solubility of the metal salt is greater than 0.02 g per 100 ml of water at room temperature.