Electrooptical liquid crystal system containing dual frequency liquid crystal mixture

• US 5,621,552 A
• Filed: 02/28/1994
• Issued: 04/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Nolan, Patrick, Coates, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Crane, Sara W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham, Fetsum
• Application Number:
  US08/199,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 359/52, 359/51
• US Class Current: 349/86
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/544 as dispersing or encapsulating medium around the liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrooptical liquid crystal system

which contains a dual frequency liquid crystal mixture and a further optically transparent polymeric medium between two electrode layers which optionally may be attached to substrates,

in which the ordinary refractive index of the liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of the polymeric medium n_m and/or in which the quotient of the mass of the liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the polymeric medium is 1.5 or more,

which has a reduced transmission in the on-state compared to the off-state, and

which is obtained by polymerization of a composition containing the dual frequency liquid crystal mixture and a precursor of the polymeric medium,

characterized in that an electrical field is applied during the curing process which exhibits a frequency below the cross-over frequency of the dual frequency liquid crystal mixture so that the molecules of the dual frequency liquid crystal mixture are aligned essentially into the direction of the electrical field.

Claims

1. An electrooptical liquid crystal system comprising:

a dual frequency liquid crystal mixture having a cross-over frequency f_c and an optically transparent polymeric medium positioned between two electrode layers, said layers each being optionally attached to substrates;

wherein the ordinary refractive index of said liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of said polymeric medium n_m, the quotient of the mass of said liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the polymeric medium is 1.5 or more, or said ordinary refractive index of said liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of said polymeric medium n_m and said quotient is 1.5 or more;

wherein said system has a reduced transmission in the on-state compared to the off-state;

wherein said system is obtained by polymerization of a composition containing said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture and a precursor of said polymeric medium; and

during curing of said composition, an electrical field exhibiting a frequency below said cross-over frequency f_c of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture is applied to said composition whereby the molecules of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture are aligned essentially in the direction of said electrical field.

2. An electrooptical system according to claim 1, wherein said composition further contains less than 25% by weight with respect to the mass of said liquid crystal mixture of one or more reactive liquid crystalline compounds containing one or more polymerizable groups.

3. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 2, wherein said composition further contains 0.1-15% by weight with respect to the mass of said liquid crystal mixture of one or more reactive liquid crystalline compounds containing one or more polymerizable groups.

4. An electrooptical system according to claim 1, wherein said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture is a nematic liquid crystal mixture.

5. An electrooptical system according to claim 1, wherein said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture is a cholesteric mixture.

6. An electrooptical system according to claim 1, wherein said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture is a smectic mixture.

7. In an automobile having a sunroof wherein said sunroof comprises an electrooptical liquid crystal system, the improvement wherein said system is an electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1.

8. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of said electrical field is less than f_c /2.

9. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture has a cross-over frequency f_c of not more than 10 kHz.

10. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture has a cross-over frequency f_c of less than 3 kHz.

11. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture exhibits a temperature coefficient of the cross-over frequency of less than 10 Hz/K.

12. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture exhibits a dielectric anisotropy of more than +2 at frequencies below the cross-over frequency.

13. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture exhibits a dielectric anisotropy of less than -2 at frequencies above the cross-over frequency.

14. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric constant of said liquid crystal mixture changes from its maximum positive value to its maximum negative value in a frequency range of less than 500 Hz.

15. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said composition further contains one or more pleochroic dyes, one or more chiral compounds, one or more surfactants, or mixtures thereof.

16. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture exhibits an optical anisotropy Δ

n of more than 0.08.

17. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture exhibits an optical anisotropy Δ

n of not less than 0.1.

18. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture and optically transparent polymeric medium between said two electrode layers is less than 100 μ

m.

19. An electrooptical liquid crystal system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal mixture has a cross-over frequency f_c of not more than 5.1 kHz.

20. A process for preparing of an electrooptical liquid crystal system comprising:

inserting a composition containing a dual frequency liquid crystal mixture, a precursor of an optically transparent polymeric medium, and optionally a reactive liquid crystalline component between electrode layers, said electrode layers each being optionally attached to substrates;

said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture having a cross-over frequency f_c ;

wherein the ordinary refractive index of said liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of said polymeric medium n_m, the quotient of the mass of said liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the polymeric medium is 1.5 or more, or said ordinary refractive index of said liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of said polymeric medium n_m and said quotient is 1.5 or more;

applying a voltage to said electrode layers, said voltage exhibiting a frequency below said cross-over frequency f_c of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture whereby the molecules of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture are aligned essentially in the direction of the electrical field formed by the application of said voltage; and

polymerizing said precursor while maintaining said electrical field, to obtain said system wherein said system has a reduced transmission in the on-state compared to the off-state.

21. An electrooptical liquid crystal system comprising:

a dual frequency liquid crystal mixture having a cross-over frequency f_c and an optically transparent polymeric medium positioned between two electrode layers, said layers each being optionally attached to substrates;

wherein the ordinary refractive index of said liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of said polymeric medium n_m, the quotient of the mass of said liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the polymeric medium is 1.5 or more, or said ordinary refractive index of said liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of said polymeric medium n_m and said quotient is 1.5 or more;

wherein said system exhibits its highest transmission in the off-state and reduced transmission in the on-state;

wherein said system is obtained by polymerization of a composition containing said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture and a precursor of said polymeric medium; and

during curing of said composition, an electrical field exhibiting a frequency below said cross-over frequency f_c of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture is applied to said composition whereby the molecules of said dual frequency liquid crystal mixture are aligned essentially in the direction of said electrical field.