Pixelized liquid crystal display materials including chiral material adopted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation
First Claim
1. A light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal material including a chiral material adapted to change chirality upon application of an energy input, wherein said liquid crystal material includes a plurality of essentially distinct regions within which the liquid crystal has different pitch lengths, whereby said liquid crystal material can be made to reflect different wavelengths of light in different regions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improvement in a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal adapted to form focal conic and twisted planar textures and a liquid crystal device employing such a material, the improvement wherein the liquid crystal material includes a plurality of essentially distinct regions within which the liquid crystal has different pitch lengths, whereby the liquid crystal can be made to reflect different wavelengths of light in different regions. The regions are created by including in the chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, a chiral material adapted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation, in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon photo-irradiation. By exposing different regions of the material to increasing amounts of photo-irradiation, the pitch length of each region can be selectively tuned to reflect light of a different wavelength.
199 Citations
30 Claims
- 1. A light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal material including a chiral material adapted to change chirality upon application of an energy input, wherein said liquid crystal material includes a plurality of essentially distinct regions within which the liquid crystal has different pitch lengths, whereby said liquid crystal material can be made to reflect different wavelengths of light in different regions.
- 6. In a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, the improvement comprising a cleavable chiral material adapted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation, said material being present in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon said photo-irradiation, and wherein said chiral material includes a chiral carbon whereby upon photo-irradiation the chiral carbon is rendered achiral by cleavage of a moiety from said chiral material.
- 11. In a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, the improvement comprising a chiral material adapted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation, said material being present in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon said photo-irradiation, wherein said chiral material has as its dominant reaction product upon photo-irradiation a racemic mixture.
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12. In a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, the improvement comprising a chiral material adapted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation, said material being present in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon said photo-irradiation, wherein said chiral material has as its dominant reaction product upon photo-irradiation a structural isomer with chirality opposite that of said chiral material.
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14. In a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, the improvement comprising a chiral material, having at least one polymerizable double bond, adapted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation, said material being present in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon said photo-irradiation, including a polymer matrix forming material having at least one double bond that is polymerizable with at least one polymerizable double bond of said chiral material.
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15. In a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, the improvement comprising a chiral material adapted to change its chirality upon photo-irradiation, said material being present in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon said photo-irradiation, wherein said chiral material is selected from the group consisting of an arylcyano acetic acid, an aryloxy acetic acid, an aryl ketone, a binaphthol, a binaphthalene or combination thereof.
- 16. In a light modulating liquid crystal device comprising chiral nematic liquid crystal material adapted to form focal conic and twisted planar textures and cell wall structure confining said liquid crystal, the improvement wherein said liquid crystal material includes a chiral material adapted to change chirality upon application of an energy input, and a plurality of essentially distinct regions within which the liquid crystal has different pitch lengths, whereby said liquid crystal can be made to reflect different wavelengths of light in different regions.
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25. A method of preparing a light modulating liquid crystal cell comprising the steps of:
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a) disposing between a pair of cell walls, a light modulating chiral nematic liquid crystal composition including a chiral material adapted to change its chirality upon irradiation, said material being present in an amount effective to change the pitch length of the liquid crystal composition upon said irradiation; b) masking at least a portion of said liquid crystal from an irradiation source; and
,c) irradiating said liquid crystal composition to change the pitch length of the unmasked portion of said liquid crystal wherein said masking and photo-irradiation steps are preformed so as to create a plurality of essentially distinct regions within which the liquid crystal has different pitch lengths effective to reflect different colors in the visible spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification