Method of preparing an anisotropic polymer film on a substrate with a structured surface
AssigneeMerck Patent GmbH
InventorsMatthias Kuntz, John Patrick, Guy Gregory, Tony Bleasdale, Rodney Riddle, Robert Hammond-Smith, Peter Howarth, Allan Marshall
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Abstract
An anisotropic polymer film with improved alignmentis prepared by coating onto a substrate with a structured surface. The polymer films thereby obtained are useful in optical and electrooptical devices for decorative and security applications.
Claims22
A method of preparing an anisotropic polymer film comprising a polymerized liquid crystal material with planar orientation, said process comprising:
- coating a polymerizable liquid crystalline or mesogenic material onto a substrate with a structured surface,
- aligning the polymerizable liquid crystalline or mesogenic material,
- polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystalline or mesogenic material, and
- optionally removing the polymerized film from the substrate.
An anisotropic polymer film with planar alignment obtained by a method according to caim 1.
A method of aligning a liquid crystalline or mesogenic material in a continuous coating process on a conveying substrate comprising orienting the molecular long axes of the molecules of the liquid crystalline or mesogenic material to be substantially parallel to the plane of the substrate and at any desired angle to the substrate moving direction by using a substrate with a structured surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.