# US 5,344,587 A · Electrooptical liquid-crystal system

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- Number: US 5,344,587 A
- Document ID: US5344587A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/687,852
- Filed: 1991-06-03
- Granted: 1994-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 1989-10-02
- Assignees: Merck Patent GmbH
- Inventors: David Coates; Shirley Marden; Graham Smith; Ulrich Finkenzeller; Volker Reiffenrath; Reinhard Hittich; Stefan Wilhelm
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5344587A

## CPC

- C09K 19/12: at least two benzene rings directly linked, e.g. biphenyls
- C09K 19/3003: {Compounds containing at least two rings in which the different rings are directly linked (covalent bond)}
- C09K 19/3028: {in which at least two rings are linked by a carbon chain containing carbon to carbon single bonds}
- C09K 19/42: Mixtures of liquid crystal compounds covered by two or more of the preceding groups C09K19/06 - C09K19/40
- C09K 19/44: containing compounds with benzene rings directly linked
- C09K 19/544: {as dispersing or encapsulating medium around the liquid crystal}
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE

## Abstract

The invention relates to an electrooptical liquid crystal system which contains a dielectrically positive liquid crystal mixture and a further optically transparent medium between 2 electrodes which are optionally applied to substrate sheets, whose liquid crystal molecules in the switched-off state have an irregular orientation, in which one of the refractive indices of the liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of the matrix n.sub.M and/or in which the quotient of the mass of the liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the optically transparent medium is 1.5 or more and, which, independently of the polarization of the incident light, has a reduced transmission in one of the two switch states compared to the other state and whose liquid crystal mixture contains one or more compounds of the formula I ##STR1## in which Q.sup.1 is ##STR2## are independently of one another trans-1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,4-phenylene, 2-fluoro-l,4-phenylene, 3-fluoro-1,4-phenylene and one of A.sup.1 and, if present, A.sup.2, is also pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, 1,3-dioxane-2,5-diyl, tetrahydropyran-2,5-diyl or naphthalene-2,6-diyl, Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are independently of one another a single bond, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, --COO--, --OCO--, --C--C--, --CH.sub.2 O-- or any desired combinations of these bridge groups, Y and X are independently of one another H or F, and one of X and Y is also Cl, W is --CN, --Cl, --F, --CF.sub.3, --OCF.sub.3, --OCHF.sub.2, --NCS or R.sup.2 R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently of one another are alkyl having 1-12 C atoms, in which one or 2 non-adjacent CH.sub.2 groups can also be replaced by --O-- or --HC.dbd.CH--, and m is 0, 1 or 2.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electrooptical liquid crystal system which contains a dielectrically positive liquid crystal mixture and a further optically transparent medium between 2 electrodes which are optionally applied to substrate sheets,
whose liquid crystal molecules in the switched-off state have a random orientation,
in which one of the refractive indices of the liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of the matrix n.sub.M and/or in which the quotient of the mass of the liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the optically transparent medium is 1.5 or more,
which, independently of the polarization of the incident light, has an electrically switchable transmission,
wherein the liquid crystal mixture contains one or more compounds of the formula Ia: ##STR70## in which ##STR71## are each independently trans-1-,4-cyclohexylene, 1,4-phenylene, 2- fluoro-1,4-phenylene or 3-fluoro-1,4-phenylene,
X.sup.1 is H or F
R.sup.1 is alkyl having 1-12 C atoms, in which one or 2 non-adjacent CH.sub.2 groups can also be replaced by --O-- or --CH.dbd.CH--, and n, Z.sup.3 and Z.sup.4 are one of the following combinations:
______________________________________ No. n Z.sup.3 Z.sup.4 ______________________________________ 1 0 single bond -- 2 0 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 -- 3 1 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 single bond 4 1 single bond CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 or 5 1 single bond single bond; ______________________________________
with the proviso that only one of A.sup.3 and A.sup.4 is trans-1,4-cyclohexylene.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A system according to claim 1, wherein in formula Ia ##STR72## is ##STR73##

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal mixture is embedded in the optically transparent medium in the form of compartments which are separated from one another.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal mixture forms a coherent, continuous phase in the optically transparent medium.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

A system according to claim 3, which is a PDLC system.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

A system according to claim 3, which is an NCAP system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

A system according to claim 4, which is a PN system.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal mixture contains one or more pleochroitic dye.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal mixture contains one or more chiral additives.

### Claim 10

An electrooptical liquid crystal system
which contains a dielectrically positive liquid crystal mixture and a further optically transparent medium between 2 electrodes which are optionally applied to substrate sheets,
whose liquid crystal molecules in the switched-off state have a random orientation,
in which one of the refractive indices of the liquid crystal mixture essentially agrees with the refractive index of the matrix n.sub.M and/or in which the quotient of the mass of the liquid crystal mixture and of the mass of the optically transparent medium is 1.5 or more and,
which, independently of the polarization of the incident light, has an electrically switchable transmission, and
whose liquid crystal mixture is based on compounds ##STR74## in which ##STR75## is trans-1,4-cyclohexylene or 1,4-phenylene and R.sup.1 is alkyl having 1-12 C atoms, in which one or 2 non-adjacent CH.sub.2 groups is optionally replaced by --O-- or --HC.dbd.CH--, and contains 5-60 percent by weight of one or more compounds of the following formulae ##STR76## in which ##STR77## ##STR78## is 2-fluoro-1,4-phenylene or 3-fluoro-1,4-phenylene, ##STR79## is 2-fluoro-1,5-phenylene or 3-fluoro-1,4-phenylene and O is 0 or 1.

### Claim 11

A nematic liquid crystal composition with a high birefringence based on materials ##STR80## wherein ##STR81## is trans-1,4-cyclohexylene or 1,4-phenylene, and R is an alkyl chain containing 2 to 7 carbon atoms wherein one CH.sub.2 group may also be replaced by an oxygen atom, comprising including in said composition, as a second part, between 5 and 60% by weight of one or more compounds being selected from the clases (3) to (5) ##STR82## wherein R is in every instance an alkyl chain containing 2 to 7 carbon atoms wherein one CH.sub.2 croup may also be replaced by an oxygen atom n is 1 or 2, ##STR83## is trans-1,4-cyclohexylene ##STR84##