Materials for aligning liquid crystals
First Claim
1. A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of at least one copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetacarboxylic dianhydride and at least three diamines, consisting essentially of at least three structural elements of the formula IIa ##STR39## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR40## wherein Z and Z1 are selected, independently, from the group consisting of --S--, --SO2 --, --O--, --CH2 CH2 --, --CH2 --, --NR--, --C(CF3)2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C1 -C4 hydrocarbon chain;
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3 ;
wherein R3 is selected from C1 -C3 perfluorinated alkyl chain and partially fluorinated alkyl chain and R4 is independently selected from R3 and H;
X3 is independently selected from X2 and H;
X is independently selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, F, and Br; and
m is 1 or 0.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process for aligning liquid crystals adjacent to a surface of an optical alignment layer comprising: exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules, to polarized light; the polarized light having a wavelength within the absorption band of said anisotropically absorbing molecules; wherein the exposed anisotropically absorbing molecules induce alignment of a liquid crystal medium at an angle + and - with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer; and applying a liquid crystal medium to said optical alignment layer; wherein said anisotropically absorbing molecules consist essentially of diaryl ketones, is described. The invention also is directed to a liquid crystal optical storage medium, a liquid crystal display element, and a liquid crystal diffractive optical element made by the process of the invention and to novel polyimide compositions that are useful as optical alignment layers in the process of the invention.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of at least one copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetacarboxylic dianhydride and at least three diamines, consisting essentially of at least three structural elements of the formula IIa ##STR39## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR40## wherein Z and Z1 are selected, independently, from the group consisting of --S--, --SO2 --, --O--, --CH2 CH2 --, --CH2 --, --NR--, --C(CF3)2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C1 -C4 hydrocarbon chain;
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3 ;
wherein R3 is selected from C1 -C3 perfluorinated alkyl chain and partially fluorinated alkyl chain and R4 is independently selected from R3 and H;
X3 is independently selected from X2 and H;
X is independently selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, F, and Br; and
m is 1 or 0. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3 ;
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5. A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of a polyimide polymer that is a copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetracarboxylic dianhydride and at least two diamines, consisting essentially of at least one structural element of the formula IIa ##STR41## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR42## and at least one structural element of formula VII ##STR43## wherein Z and Z1 are selected, independently, from the group consisting of --S--, --SO2 --, --O--, --CH2 CH2, --CH2 --, --NR--,--C(CF3)2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C1 -C4 hydrocarbon chain;
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3, wherein R3 is selected from C1 -C3 perfluorinated alkyl chain and partially fluorinated alkyl chain and R4 is independently selected from R3 and H;
X3 is independently selected from X2 and H;
X is independently selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, F, and Br; and
m is 1 or 0; and
the copolyimide consists of about from 99 to 1 mol % of at least one structural element of formula IIa and about from 1 to 99 mol % of at least one structural element of formula VII. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3, wherein R3 is selected from C1 -C3 perfluorinated alkyl chain and partially fluorinated alkyl chain and R4 is independently selected from R3 and H;
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8. A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of a polyimide polymer that is a copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetracarboxylic dianhydride, at least one alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride and at least one diamine, consisting essentially of at least two structural elements of the formula IIa and Va ##STR44## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR45## wherein Z and Z1 are independently selected from the group consisting of --S--, --SO2, --O--, --CH2 CH2 --, --CH2 --, --NR--, --C(CF3)2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C1 -C4 hydrocarbon chain;
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3, wherein R3 is selected from C1 -C3 perfluorinated alkyl chain and partially fluorinated alkyl chain and R4 is independently selected from R3 and H;
X3 is independently selected from X2 and H;
X is independently selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, F, and Br;
m is 1 or 0;
P is a tetravalent radical derived from said alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride; and
the copolyimide comprises 95 to 20 mol % of at least one structural element of formula IIa and 5 to 80 mol % of at least one structural element of formula Va. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- X2 is independently selected from --R3, --OR3, --SR3, --N(R4)R3, wherein R3 is selected from C1 -C3 perfluorinated alkyl chain and partially fluorinated alkyl chain and R4 is independently selected from R3 and H;
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11. A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of a polyimide polymer of at least one diaminobenzophenone and at least one alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride, consisting essentially of at least one structural element of the formula VIII ##STR46## wherein P is a tetravalent radical derived from said alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride;
- and X is independently selected from the group consisting of H, Cl F, and Br.
- View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
Specification