Soft-imprint alignment processes for patterning liquid crystal polymer layers via contact with a reusable alignment template are described herein. An example soft-imprint alignment process includes contacting a liquid crystal polymer layer with a reusable alignment template that has a desired surface alignment pattern such that the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal polymer are aligned to the surface alignment pattern via chemical, steric, or other intermolecular interaction. The patterned liquid crystal polymer layer may then be polymerized and separated from the reusable alignment template. The process can be repeated many times. The reusable alignment template may include a photo-alignment layer that does not comprise surface relief structures that correspond to the surface alignment pattern and a release layer above this photo-alignment layer. A reusable alignment template and methods of fabricating the same are also disclosed.

Soft-imprint alignment processes for patterning liquid crystal polymer layers via contact with a reusable alignment template are described herein. An example soft-imprint alignment process includes contacting a liquid crystal polymer layer with a reusable alignment template that has a desired surface alignment pattern such that the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal polymer are aligned to the surface alignment pattern via chemical, steric, or other intermolecular interaction. The patterned liquid crystal polymer layer may then be polymerized and separated from the reusable alignment template. The process can be repeated many times. The reusable alignment template may include a photo-alignment layer that does not comprise surface relief structures that correspond to the surface alignment pattern and a release layer above this photo-alignment layer. A reusable alignment template and methods of fabricating the same are also disclosed.

A method is disclosed of electrically controlling state transition of a liquid crystal material in a device (200). The device (200) comprises the liquid crystal material (213) and a polymeric structure (210) consisting of polymerised liquid crystal material with a selected liquid crystal state. The method comprises: applying an electric field to the liquid crystal material (213) to force the liquid crystal material (213) into a high-energy state; reducing the strength of the electric field to cause a lower-energy state region of the liquid crystal material (213) to nucleate on at least a part of the polymeric structure (210).

A liquid crystal cell in which antenna units are arrayed includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate, an alignment film, and a liquid crystal layer. The TFT substrate includes a first dielectric substrate, TFTs supported by the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs. The slot substrate includes a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode including slots supported by the second dielectric substrate. The alignment film is provided on a surface of at least either each of the patch electrodes or the slot electrode. The alignment film includes a metal oxide film at the foremost surface of the alignment film. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate and contains liquid crystal molecules that are aligned parallel to the TFT substrate and the slot substrate when no voltage is applied between the patch electrode and the slot electrode.

A light modulation element comprising, preferably consisting of a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two opposing substrates, an electrode arrangement, which is capable to allow the application of an electric field, which is substantially perpendicular to the main plane of substrate or the layer of the cholesteric liquid-crystalline medium, characterized in that one of the substrates is provided with a processed alignment layer adjacent to the cholesteric liquid crystalline medium and the other substrate is either provided with an unprocessed alignment layer adjacent to the cholesteric liquid crystalline medium or is not provided with an alignment layer. The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.

A liquid crystal polymer including structural units derived from an aromatic hydroxy carboxylic acid in an amount of greater than about 30 mol % and less than or equal to about 50 mol %, an aromatic dicarboxylic acid which includes about 50 mol % or greater of a structural unit derived from a compound including two carboxyl groups at a meta-position of an aromatic ring in an amount greater than or equal to about 50 mol % of the amount of the structural unit derived from the aromatic hydroxy carboxylic acid, each based on total moles of the structural units in the liquid crystal polymer, and an aromatic diol that is 4,4-dihydroxybiphenyl, hydroquinone, or a combination thereof; a composite composition including the liquid crystal polymer, an article produced from the liquid crystal polymer or the composite composition, a battery case including the article, and a battery including the battery case and an electrode assembly.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula T ##STR00001##
and one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds of formulae I, II and III, ##STR00002##
in which the parameters have the meaning indicated in Claim 1, and to components comprising these media for high-frequency technology, in particular phase shifters and microwave array antennas.

The present application relates to a liquid crystal device. The liquid crystal device of the present application may realize a transparent white state, a transparent black state and a scattering state according to a frequency and/or level of an applied voltage. The liquid crystal device may be applied to, for example, a window of a vehicle, a smart window, a window protective film, a display, a light cutoff panel for a display, an active retarder for a 3D image display or a viewing angle controlling film.

The present invention relates to a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition, a protective film for polarizers, which includes a cured product of the pressure-sensitive adhesive composition, a polarizer, and a liquid crystal display (LCD). In the present invention, a pressure-sensitive adhesive showing excellent endurance reliability in high-temperature and/or high-humidity conditions and having superior physical properties such as cuttability, re-peeling property, and workability can be provided. In particular, it is possible to provide the pressure-sensitive adhesive composition which can prevent light leakage that may occur in an LCD, even when being applied to a film having a low stress optical coefficient.

A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate having a first alignment film and an opposing substrate having a second alignment film with liquid crystals sandwiched therebetween. One of the first and second alignment films, comprises a first polyimide produced via polyamide acid ester containing cyclobutane as a precursor and a second polyimide produced via polyamide acid as a precursor. The polyamide acid has a higher polarity than that of the polyamide acid ester. The one of the first and second alignment films is responsive to photo-alignment. A first side of the one of the first and second alignment films is adjacent to the liquid crystals, and a second side thereof is closer to one of the TFT substrate and the counter substrate than the first side. The first side contains more of the first polyimide and less of the second polyimide than the second side.