Polymer Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Flakes

Polymer cholesteric liquid crystal (PCLC) flakes have potential to be used in particle-based displays intended for electronic paper application. PCLC flake-based display offers a possibility of thin, reflective, lightweight, and flexible display with full-color capabilities, which consumes little power. Shaped PCLC flakes, made by soft-lithography - a technology invented by the author, in an appropriate host fluid reorient from a bright (reflective) state to a dark (non-reflective) state under externally applied voltage. Maxwell-Wagner polarization was confirmed to be the main mechanism for the flake reorientation in an electric field. Key factors, which dictate the flake reorientation and relaxation time, are described in this book. Modifications in flake material properties, caused by the addition of various types of dopants, and the performances of doped PCLC flakes, are also covered in this book. The proposed mathematical model for the flake motion in an electric field agrees well with most of the experimental results.