Ferroelectric liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal device using the same

• US 5,308,539 A
• Filed: 01/17/1992
• Issued: 05/03/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Daiso Co Ltd (Osaka Soda Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Daiso Co Ltd (Osaka Soda Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kuratate, Tomoaki, Sakaguchi, Kazuhiko, Shiomi, Yutaka, Koden, Mitsuhiro, Kitamura, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, SHEAN CHIU
• Application Number:
  US07/822,629
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 252/299.01, 252/299.62, 252/299.61, 252/299.63, 359/103, 359/104, 549/302, 549/322
• US Class Current: 252/299.61
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/0225 Ferroelectric
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/42 Mixtures of liquid crystal compounds covered by two or more of the preceding groups C09K19/06 - C09K19/40
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/46 containing esters
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/588 Heterocyclic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2019/3408 Five-membered ring with oxygen(s) in fused, bridged or spiro ring systems

Abstract

A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition including: at least one optically active compound of the formula (I): ##STR1## where R¹ and R² are, the same or different, a straight or branched chain alkyl group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, k represents an integer of 0 or 1, and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom; and

at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: compounds of the formula (II): ##STR2## where R³ and R⁴ are a straight or branched chain alkyl or alkoxy group having 1-15 carbon atoms, ##STR3## and ##STR4## each represents ##STR5## X represents --O--, --CO-- or a single bond, m and n are independently an integer of 0 or 1; compounds of the formula (III): ##STR6## where R⁵ and R⁶ are, the same or different, a straight or branched chain alkyl or alkoxy group having 1-15 carbon atoms, and p is an integer of 0 or 1;

said ferroelectric liquid crystal composition exhibiting at least nematic phase, smectic A phase and smectic C phase.

Claims

1. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition comprising:

at least one optically active compound of the formula (I);

##STR69## where R¹ and R² are, the same or different, a straight or branched chain alkyl group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, k represents an integer of 0 or 1, and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom;

at least one compound selected from the group consisting of;

a compound of the formula (II);

##STR70## where R³ and R⁴ are a straight or branched chain alkyl or alkoxy group having 1-15 carbon atoms and ##STR71## each represent ##STR72## X represents --O--, --CO-- or a single bond, m and n are independently an integer of 0 or 1; and

a compound of the formula (III);

##STR73## where R⁵ and R⁶ are, the same or different, a straight or branched chain alkyl or alkoxy group having 1-15 carbon atoms, and p is an integer of 0 or 1;

said ferroelectric liquid crystal composition exhibiting at least nematic phase, smectic A phase and smectic C phase.

2. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in claim 1, which includes at least one compound of the formula (II).

3. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in claim 2, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I) and said compound of the formula (II) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. % and 25-99.9 wt. %.

4. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in claim 1, which includes at least one compound of the formula (III).

5. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in claim 4, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I) and said compound of the formula (III) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. % and 30-99.9 wt. %.

6. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in claim 1, which includes at least one compound of the formula (II) and at least one compound of the formula (III).

7. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in claim 6, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (II) and said compound of the formula (III) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 25-70 wt. % and 30-75 wt. %.

8. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a compound of the formula (IV);

##STR74## where R⁷ and R⁸ are, the same or different, a straight or branched chain alkyl group having 1-15 carbon atoms, ##STR75## is ##STR76## X represents a hydrogen or fluorine atom or a cyano group, Y represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom; and

/or

a compound of the formula (V);

##STR77## where R⁹ and R¹⁰ are, the same or different, a straight or branched chain alkyl or alkoxy group having 1-15 carbon atoms, Y represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, ##STR78## is ##STR79## and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom.

9. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, which includes at least one compound of the formula (II) and at least one compound of the formula (IV).

10. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (II) and said compound of the formula (IV) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 25-99.8 wt. % and 0.1-5 wt. %.

11. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, which includes at least one compound of the formula (II) and at least one compound of the formula (V).

12. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (II) and said compound of the formula (V) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 25-99.8 wt. % and 0 1-5 wt. %.

13. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, which includes at least one compound of the formula (III) and at least one compound of the formula (IV).

14. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (III) and said compound of the formula (IV) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 30-99.8 wt. % and 0.1-5 wt. %.

15. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, which includes at least one compound of the formula (III) and at least one compound of the formula (V).

16. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (III) and said compound of the formula (V) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 30-99.8 wt. % and 0.1-5 wt. %.

17. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, which includes at least one compound of the formula (II), at least one compound of the formula (III) and at least one compound of the formula (IV).

18. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (II), said compound of the formula (III) and said compound of the formula (IV) are included in respect amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 25-69.8 wt. %, 30-74.8 wt. % and 0.1-5 wt. %.

19. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, which includes at least one compound of the formula (II), at least one compound of the formula (III) and at least one compound of the formula (V).

20. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optically active compound of the formula (I), said compound of the formula (II), said compound of the formula (III) and said compound of the formula (V) are included in respective amounts of 0.1-10 wt. %, 25-69.8 wt. %, 30-74.8 wt. % and 0.1-5 wt. %.

21. A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as set forth in claim 1, wherein R¹ and R² are an alkyl group having 3-13 carbon atoms and an alkyl group having 3-10 carbon atoms, respectively.

22. A ferroelectric liquid crystal device comprising a pair of transparent insulator substrates, a transparent electrode and an orientation control layer which are formed in the order on each of said substrates, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal material sandwich by the substrates, said pair of substrates being desposed as opposed to each other so as to make the orientation control layers oppose to each other, said ferroelectric liquid crystal material being a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition of claim 1.

23. A ferroelectric liquid crystal device as set forth in claim 22, wherein said liquid crystal material is a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition as claimed in any one of claims 2-21.