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US 5,965,691 AGranted
Materials for aligning liquid crystals
AssigneeElsicon, Inc.
InventorsWayne M. Gibbons, Paul J. Shannon, Shao-Tang Sun
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AssigneeElsicon, Inc.
InventorsWayne M. Gibbons, Paul J. Shannon, Shao-Tang Sun
Estimating the term…
A process for aligning liquid crystals adjacent to a surface of an optical alignment layer comprising: exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules, to polarized light; the polarized light having a wavelength within the absorption band of said anisotropically absorbing molecules; wherein the exposed anisotropically absorbing molecules induce alignment of a liquid crystal medium at an angle + and - with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer; and applying a liquid crystal medium to said optical alignment layer; wherein said anisotropically absorbing molecules consist essentially of diaryl ketones, is described. The invention also is directed to a liquid crystal optical storage medium, a liquid crystal display element, and a liquid crystal diffractive optical element made by the process of the invention and to novel polyimide compositions that are useful as optical alignment layers in the process of the invention.
A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of at least one copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetacarboxylic dianhydride and at least three diamines, consisting essentially of at least three structural elements of the formula IIa ##STR39## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR40## wherein Z and Z.sub.1 are selected, independently, from the group consisting of --S--, --SO.sub.2 --, --O--, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 --, --NR--, --C(CF.sub.3).sub.2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbon chain;
A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of a polyimide polymer that is a copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetracarboxylic dianhydride and at least two diamines, consisting essentially of at least one structural element of the formula IIa ##STR41## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR42## and at least one structural element of formula VII ##STR43## wherein Z and Z.sub.1 are selected, independently, from the group consisting of --S--, --SO.sub.2 --, --O--, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2 --, --NR--,--C(CF.sub.3).sub.2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbon chain;
A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of a polyimide polymer that is a copolyimide of at least one diaryl ketone tetracarboxylic dianhydride, at least one alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride and at least one diamine, consisting essentially of at least two structural elements of the formula IIa and Va ##STR44## wherein Y is a divalent radical selected from the formulas IIIa and IVa ##STR45## wherein Z and Z.sub.1 are independently selected from the group consisting of --S--, --SO.sub.2, --O--, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 --, --NR--, --C(CF.sub.3).sub.2 --, --C(O)-- and a covalent bond, wherein R is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbon chain;
A composition for generating alignment of liquid crystals, consisting essentially of a polyimide polymer of at least one diaminobenzophenone and at least one alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride, consisting essentially of at least one structural element of the formula VIII ##STR46## wherein P is a tetravalent radical derived from said alicyclic tetracarboxylic dianhydride;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.