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AssigneeUniversity of Rochester
InventorsKenneth L. Marshall, Tanya Z. Kosc, Stephen D. Jacobs, Sadeg M. Faris, Le Li
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Flakes or platelets of polymer liquid crystals (PLC) or other birefringent polymers (BP) suspended in a fluid host medium constitute a system that can function as the active element in an electrically switchable optical device when the suspension is either contained between a pair of rigid substrates bearing transparent conductive coatings or dispersed as microcapsules within the body of a flexible host polymer. Optical properties of these flake materials include large effective optical path length, different polarization states and high angular sensitivity in their selective reflection or birefringence. The flakes or platelets of these devices need only a 3-20° rotation about the normal to the cell surface to achieve switching characteristics obtainable with prior devices using particle rotation or translation.
An optical device comprising a system of electro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein said flakes are polymeric liquid crystal (PLC) or birefringent polymer (BP) material.
An optical device comprising a system of electro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein said flakes are selected from the group consisting of PNLC, PCLC, BP, and pitch gradient PCLC.
An optical device comprising a system of electro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein said flakes are polymeric liquid crystal (PLC) or birefringent polymer (BP) material and said system further comprises a charge control agent.
An optical device comprising a system of electro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein said flakes are polymeric liquid crystal (PLC) or birefringent polymer (BP) material and comprises flakes having charge control layers on the surface thereof.
An optical device comprising a system of electro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein a plurality of said flake/host systems are embedded in a polymer binder and constitute a plurality of capsules in said binder, and said flakes are selected from the group consisting of PNLC, PCLC, BP and pitch gradient PCLC, and have a flake size less than said capsules along a longitudinal dimension thereof.
An optical device comprising a system of etectro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein said flake host systems are contained between cell substrates coated with a transparent conductive coating to which voltage is applied to produce said field, and said flakes are polymer liquid crystal flakes in Grandjean orientation.
An optical device comprising a system of electro optically sensitive flakes suspended in a fluid host for selectively changing an optical characteristic thereof by changes in an applied electric field, wherein said flakes are polymeric liquid crystal (PLC) or birefringent polymer (BP) material and said host includes a surfactant material and a charge control agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.