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US 7,029,729 B2Granted
Cholesteric liquid crystal additives
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsTerence D. Spawn, Marc D. Radcliffe, Richard J. Pokorny
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a cholesteric liquid crystal composition that includes at least one cholesteric liquid crystal precursor, and at least one non-liquid crystalline additive that is a non-liquid crystalline compound of formula I The invention also provides cholesteric liquid crystal films and optical bodies formed from cholesteric liquid crystal compositions of the invention. The invention further provides an optical display that includes a display medium, and a reflective polarizer including a cholesteric liquid crystal composition in accordance with the invention.
Claims25
A cholesteric liquid crystal composition comprising:
- a liquid crystalline polymer obtained from polymerization of a liquid crystal monomer of formula II;
- and
- at least one non-liquid crystalline additive of formula I that comprises a substructure of the liquid crystal monomer of formula II;
- wherein formula II is:
- where M, N, and Q are each independently:
- b and c are each independently zero or 1;
- W, X, and V are each non-directionally and independently a covalent bond, —C(═O)—O—, —C(═O)—S—, —C(═O)—Se—, —C(═O)—Te—, —(CH2)k— where k is 1 to 8, —(CH═CH)—, —(C≡C)—, —CH═N—, —CH2—O—, —C(═O)—, —O—, —O—C(═O)—O—, or a combination thereof;
- Y, Z, and U are each independently —H, —Cl, —F, —Br, —I, —OH, —O(CH2)jCH3 where j is 0 to 8, —CH3, —CF3, —OCF3, —CN, —NO2, aryl, arylalkoxy, carboxylic acid, thioether, or an amide;
- e, and g are each independently zero, 1, 2, 3, or 4;
- h is 1, 2, or 3;
- and
- P is an acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, isocyanate, epoxy, silane or vinyl;
- and wherein formula I is:
- where M, N, and Q, W, X, and V, Y, Z, and U, b, c, e, f, and g, h, are as defined
- for formula II and
- R is —H, —OH, —CN, C1–C8 alkyl, C1–C8 alkoxy, an aryl group, an arylalkoxy group, a carboxylic acid group, a halogen, a thioether, or an amide.
13 more elements
A cholesteric liquid crystal composition comprising:
- a liquid crystalline polymer obtained from polymerization of a liquid crystal monomer of formula II;
- and
- at least one non-liquid crystalline additive of formula I that comprises a substructure of formula II;
- wherein formula II is:
- where M, N, and Q each independently contain either phenyl or napthalene or biphenyl aromatic rings,
- b and c are each independently zero or 1;
- W, X, and V are each non-directionally and independently a covalent bond, —C(═O)—O—, —C(═O)—S—, —C(═O)—Se—, —C(═O)—Te—, —(CH2)k—where k is 1 to 8, —(CH═CH)—, —(C≡C)—, —CH═N—, —CH2—O—, —C(═O)—, —O—, —O—C(═O)—O—, or a combination thereof;
- Y, Z, and U are each independently —H, —Cl, —F, —Br, —I, —OH, —O(CH2)jCH3 where j is 0 to 8, —CH3, —CF3, —OCF3, —CN, —NO2, aryl, arylalkoxy, carboxylic acid, thioether, or an amide;
- e, f, and g are each independently zero, 1, 2, 3, or 4;
- h is 1, 2, or 3;
- and
- P is an acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, isocyanate, epoxy, silane or vinyl;
- and wherein formula I is:
- where M, N, and Q, W, X, and V, Y, Z, and U, b, c, e, f, and g, h, are as defined for formula II and
- R is —H, —OH, —CN, C1–C8 alkyl, C1–C8 alkoxy, an aryl group, an arylalkoxy group, a carboxylic acid group, a halogen, a thioether, or an amide.
12 more elements
A method of making a cholesteric liquid crystal composition, comprising the steps of:
- (a) selecting at least one cholesteric liquid crystal precursor characterized by formula II:
- (b) selecting at least one non-liquid crystalline additive comprising a substructure of the at least one cholesteric liquid crystal precursor, said non-liquid crystalline additive characterized by formula I:
- where M, N, and Q are each independently:
- b and c are each independently zero or 1;
- W, X, and V are each non-directionally and independently a covalent bond, —C(═O)—O—, —C(═O)—S—, —C(═O)—Se—, —C(═O)—Te—, —(CH2)k— where k is 1 to 8, —(CH═CH)—, —(C═C)—, —CH═N—, —CH2—O—, —C(═O)—, —O—, —O—C(═O)—O—, or a combination thereof;
- Y, Z, and U are each independently —H, —Cl, —F, —Br, —I, —OH, —O(CH2)jCH3 where j is 0 to 8, —CH3, —CF3, —OCF3, —CN, —NO2, aryl, arylalkoxy, carboxylic acid, thioether, or an amide;
- e, f, and g are each independently zero, 1, 2, 3, or 4;
- h is 1, 2, or 3;
- R is —H, —OH, —CN, C1–C8 alkyl, C1–C8 alkoxy, an aryl group, an arylalkoxy group, a carboxylic acid group, a halogen, a thioether, or an amide;
- and
- P is an acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, isocyanate, epoxy, silane or vinyl;
- (c) combining the at least one cholesteric liquid crystal precursor with the at least one non-liquid crystalline additive to produce a cholesteric liquid crystal composition;
- (d) testing the cholesteric liquid crystal composition to determine its pass transmission and its extinction transmission;
- and
- (e) (i) selecting the cholesteric liquid crystal composition having a pass transmission that is greater than that of a film formed from the cholesteric liquid crystal composition without the non-liquid crystalline additive or an extinction transmission that is less than that of a film formed from the cholesteric liquid crystal composition without the non-liquid crystalline additive, or (ii) repeating steps (a) through (d) if the cholesteric liquid crystal composition has a pass transmission that is less than that of a film formed from the cholesteric liquid crystal composition without the non-liquid crystalline additive and an extinction transmission that is more than that of a film formed from the cholesteric liquid crystal composition without the non-liquid crystalline additive.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.