A beam shaping system including an all-optical liquid crystal beam shaper, the beam shaper including a photoswitchable alignment material including at least one of a PESI-F, SPMA:MMA 1:5, SPMA:MMA 1:9, ora SOMA:SOMA-p:MMA 1:1:6 material, at least some of the liquid crystals of the beam shaper including at least one of a phenylcyclohexane, cyclo-cyclohexane, or a perfluorinated material.

A beam shaping system including an all-optical liquid crystal beam shaper, the beam shaper including a photoswitchable alignment material including at least one of a PESI-F, SPMA:MMA 1:5, SPMA:MMA 1:9, ora SOMA:SOMA-p:MMA 1:1:6 material, at least some of the liquid crystals of the beam shaper including at least one of a phenylcyclohexane, cyclo-cyclohexane, or a perfluorinated material.

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.

The present invention describes a liquid crystal composite tunable device for fast polarisation-independent modulation of an incident light beam comprising: (a) two supporting and functional panels, at least one of them coated with a transparent conductive electrode layer and with optionally at least one additional layer selected from an alignment layer, antireflective coating layer, thermochromic or electrochromic layer, photoconductive or photosensitive layer, and (b) a composite structure sandwiched between said two panels and made of a liquid crystal and porous microparticles infiltrated with said liquid crystal. The porous microparticles have an average refractive index approximately equals to one of the liquid crystal principal refractive indices, matching that of the liquid crystal at one orientational state (for example, parallel n.sub.∥), and exhibiting large mismatch at another orientational state (for example, perpendicular n.sub.⊥). This refractive index mismatch between said microparticles and said liquid crystal is tuned by applying an external electric or magnetic field, thermally or optically.

Provided are compositions that include a nematic colloid, the nematic colloid comprising a nematic liquid crystal and a key colloid; and a lock colloid, the lock colloid optionally having at least two arms extending therefrom, the lock colloid being configured for assembly with the key colloid of the nematic colloid, the assembly optionally being mediated by a dipole interaction between the colloid and the lock colloid, by a disinclination line of the nematic colloid, or any combination thereof. Also provided are related methods. The disclosed compositions and methods can be used to, e.g., assemble chain and lattice structures from the key colloids by exploiting disinclination lines and dipole defects of the components of the compositions.

Disclosed herein are light emitting device that emit highly circularly polarized light. These devices may be used to form a dot-matrix display or an electronic information display comprised of a series of photopolymerizable, chiral liquid crystalline layers that can be solvent cast on a substrate. The mixture of chiral materials in each successive layer may be blended in such a way that each layer has the same chiral pitch and may also be blended so that the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices in each layer match the other layers such that the complete assembly of layers will optically function as a single relatively thick layer of chiral liquid crystal. The chiral nematic material in each layer can spontaneously adopt a helical structure with a helical pitch. Further disclosed are pixel structures that not only emit light with brightness and chromaticity information, but also depth of focus information as well.

Provided herein is technology relating to sensors for detecting an analyte and particularly, but not exclusively, to liquid crystal sensors, methods of producing liquid crystal sensors, and methods of using liquid crystal sensors.

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.

A composite includes a liquid crystal polyester that is soluble in a solvent; and liquid crystal polymer particles that are insoluble in a solvent, have a melting point of 270° C. or more, and have a cumulative distribution 50% diameter D.sub.50 of 20 μm or less and a cumulative distribution 90% diameter D.sub.90 of 2.5 times or less the D.sub.50 in a particle size distribution.