Electro-optical devices from polymer-stabilized liquid crystal molecules

• Electrooptical devices are described which comprise first and second spaced-apart surfaces defining a gap; a chiral or cholesteric liq. crystal material disposed in the gap; and a polymeric network disposed in the gap, the polymeric network being .ltorsim.5 wt. % of the liq. crystal and biasing the liq. crystal material toward a substantially uniformly lying helix texture. The polymeric network may extend only partway into the liq. crystal cell leaving at least a portion of the liq. crystal cell substantially free of the polymeric network. Methods for producing the devices are described which entail disposing a chiral or cholesteric liq. crystal, a photoreactive monomer, and a photoinitiator in a liq. crystal cell; and illuminating a principal surface of the liq. crystal cell with UV light selected to have a nonuniform intensity profile in the liq. crystal cell, the illuminating cooperating with the photoinitiator to polymerize at least a portion of the photoreactive monomer near the principal surface to generate a polymer network having a d. corresponding to the non-uniform a UV light intensity profile, the polymer network biasing the liq. crystal toward a selected helical alignment direction.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik -- Övrig annan teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies -- Other Engineering and Technologies not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Electrooptical instruments (polymer-stabilized liq. crystal electrooptical devices and their prodn.)

polymer stabilized liq crystal electrooptical device prodn

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