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Thermo-reversible Liquid-Crystal Gels: Towards a New Processing Route for Twisted Nematic Displays

2000; Institute of Physics; Volume: 39; Issue: 5R Linguagem: Inglês

10.1143/jjap.39.2721

1347-4065

R. H. C. Janssen, Volker Stümpflen, Cees W. M. Bastiaansen, Dirk J. Broer, Theo A. Tervoort, Paul Smith,

Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials

Thermo-reversible gels of the liquid-crystal system LC-TL213 with 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid (HOA) were cast in a twisted nematic (TN) configuration that is switchable by AC electric fields. Critical in this process was to choose a processing temperature higher than the sol–gel temperature but lower than the nematic-isotropic transition of the system. The latter condition originates in the phase diagram of the system which displays a monotectic-type point at which a liquid is in equilibrium with a solid and a mesophase. The solid-like nature of the gels produced, combined with their electro-optical activity, opens the possibility to manufacture flexible TN cells via continuous processes as an alternative to the currently employed batch-type methods.