Encapsulated liquid crystal and method
First Claim
1. Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material, and containment means for inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption, said liquid crystal material and containment means comprising a dispersion thereof.
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Abstract
Briefly, according to one aspect of the invention, liquid crystal material, and especially nematic material, is encapsulated; according to another aspect the encapsulated liquid crystal material is used in liquid crystal devices, such as relatively large size visual display devices; and according to further aspects there are provided methods for encapsulating liquid crystal material and for making a liquid crystal device using such encapsulated liquid crystal material.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material, and containment means for inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption, said liquid crystal material and containment means comprising a dispersion thereof.
- 2. Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material, and containment means for inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption, said containment means forming capsule-like volumes for containing said liquid crystal material, said volumes being of a diameter of from about 0.3 microns to about 100 microns.
- 18. Liquid crystal material and a medium for containing discrete quantities of such liquid crystal material, said material having positive dielectric anisotropy, and wherein the difference between the ordinary index of refraction of said liquid crystal material and the index of refraction of said medium being no greater than 0.03.
- 23. Liquid crystal material and a medium for containing discrete quantities of such liquid crystal material, said material having positive dielectric anisotropy, said medium having a dielectric constant that is no less than the lower dielectric constant value of said material and such lower dielectric constant being from about 3.5 to about 8.
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25. A method of making encapsulated nematic liquid crystals, comprising mixing at least an encapsulating medium and a nematic liquid crystal material, and further comprising selecting such liquid crystal material and such encapsulating medium such that the liquid crystal material has a positive dielectric anisotropy and the dielectric constant of such encapsulating medium is at least as great as the lower dielectric constant of such liquid crystal material and such lower dielectric constant is from about 3.5 to about 8.
- 26. A method of making encapsulated nematic liquid crystals, comprising mixing at least an encapsulating medium and a nematic liquid crystal material, and further comprising selecting such liquid crystal material and such encapsulating medium such that the difference between the ordinary index of refraction of the liquid crystal material and the index of refraction of the encapsulating medium is not greater than about 0.03.
Specification