Polymer-doped vertically-aligned nematic liquid crystals

An optical device comprising:

• two opposing electrode surfaces;
• and
• a nematic liquid crystal composition disposed therebetween;
• wherein said nematic liquid crystal composition comprises:
• a negative delta epsilon nematic liquid crystal host;
• and between 0.01 and 5 wt of a liquid crystal polymer, wherein the liquid crystal polymer has the structure (FX11):
• wherein PX is a polymer backbone;
• W is a thiol or siloxy-containing spacer;
• M is a mesogen, EG is a polystyrene end group, and each i is independently 0 or 1.

A nematic liquid crystal composition, comprising:

• a negative delta epsilon liquid crystal host;
• and between 0.01 and 5 wt % of a liquid crystal polymer wherein the liquid crystal polymer has the structure (FX1):
• wherein PX is a polymer backbone having the formula:
• where n is an integer from 50 to 10,000 or the polymer backbone having the formula resulting from thiol-ene coupling of W-M to 1,2-polybutadiene;
• W is —(CR15R16)y—, where y is an integer from 1 to 40;
• wherein R15 and R16 are each independently hydrogen or halogen;
• wherein any adjacent or nonadjacent —(CR15R16)— group can be independently replaced with
• —S—, —S(═O)—, —O—, —C(═O)—, —O—C(═O)—, —(Si—R40R41)—, —[OSiR40R41]d—, —[Si(R40R41)O]d—, —[Si(R40R41)—[OSiR40R41]d]—, —OSiR40R41O—, and —CF2—,
• where R40 and R41 are each independently a C1-C5 straight chain or branched alkyl group wherein any hydrogen can be replaced with fluorine, and wherein d is independently an integer from 1 to 6;
• and
• M is
• wherein b and e are independently 0 or 1;
• bb is an integer from 0 to 10;
• aa is an integer from 0 to 10;
• and each A, R1 and R2 is independently a cycloalkane ring having from 3 to 8 carbons, a cycloalkene ring having from 3 to 8 carbons, an aromatic ring, or a fused two or three ring structure;
• where there may be from 1 to 6 cycloalkane rings and from 0 to 5 aromatic rings in M;
• each L is independently selected from a direct bond, —O—, —O—C(═O)—, —C(═O)—O—, —C═C—, —C≡C—, —(CH2)u—;
• where u is an integer from 1 to 10;
• wherein one or more ring carbon atoms in one or more of A, R1 and R2 may be replaced with —N—, —S—, and —O—;
• one or more hydrogens on any of A, R1 and R2 can be independently replaced with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, —CF3, —OCF3, —OCF2H and —OCFH2;
• and
• wherein each T is a terminating group independently selected from hydrogen, —CN, or a one- to fifteen-carbon alkyl, alkoxy or alkenyl chain wherein one or more hydrogen atoms may be independently replaced with fluorine and one or more —CH2— groups may be independently replaced with —O— or —O(C═O)—.