Aligned liquid crystal thin films and glasses
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Colorado
InventorDavid M. Walba
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Abstract
The present disclosure includes a method that allows one to obtain high quality alignment of nematic or smectic liquid crystal (LC) polymer glasses in thin films. The present disclosure also includes thin films of aligned smectic or nematic LC main-chain polymer glasses, including aligned chiral smectic C* ferroelectric LC main-chain polymer glasses. The disclosure also includes electro-optical devices, including electro-optical devices comprising aligned chiral smectic C* ferroelectric LC main-chain polymer glasses.
Claims16
A method for aligning smectic liquid crystal glasses in thin films comprising the steps of:
- (a) heating a glassy liquid crystal (LC) main-chain polymer fiber into a smectic LC phase;
- (b) compressing said main-chain polymer fiber in the smectic phase between opposed substrates wherein an aligned thin film of smectic LC main-chain polymer is formed between said opposed substrates;
- and
- (c) cooling said thin film of smectic LC main-chain polymer into the glassy phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.