Abstract Novel liquid crystalline compositions containing an advantageous aligning agent resin, which causes said compositions, upon application to any suitable substrate to spontaneously align or to have a greater tendency to become aligned in an orientation wherein major axes of the molecules comprising liquid crystalline material are substantially perpendicular to the plane of the subtrate. Such liquid crystalline compositions are particularly suited for use in phase transition systems wherein a film comprising cholesteric liquid crystalline material having the tendency to align is transformed to the nematic liquid crystalline state by the application of electrical fields of sufficient field strengths. Such compositions are also used in other liquid crystalline imaging systems making use of differently aligned portions of liquid crystalline films.
AN IMAGING METHOD COMPRISING PROVIDING A SUBSTRTE; PROVIDING ON SAID SUBSTRATE AN IMAGEWISE LAYER OF AN ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION COMPRISING NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL AND AN ALIGNING AGENT, SAID ALIGNING AGENT COMPRISING A POLYAMIDE RESIN SURFACTANT MATERIAL, WHEREBY SAID LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION SPONTANEOUSLY ALIGNS WITH THE MAJOR MOLECULAR AXES OF A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE MOLECULES OF THE LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE SUBSTRATE; AND PROVIDING ON SAID SUBSTRATE A LAYER OF A NON-ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION IN BACKGROUND CONFIGURATION AROUND SAID IMAGEWISE LAYER OF THE ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
96 words
AN IMAGING METHOD COMPRISING PROVIDING A SUBSTRTE; PROVIDING ON SAID SUBSTRATE AN IMAGEWISE LAYER OF AN ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION COMPRISING NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL AND AN ALIGNING AGENT, SAID ALIGNING AGENT COMPRISING A POLYAMIDE RESIN SURFACTANT MATERIAL, WHEREBY SAID LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION SPONTANEOUSLY ALIGNS WITH THE MAJOR MOLECULAR AXES OF A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE MOLECULES OF THE LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE SUBSTRATE; AND PROVIDING ON SAID SUBSTRATE A LAYER OF A NON-ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION IN BACKGROUND CONFIGURATION AROUND SAID IMAGEWISE LAYER OF THE ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said aligning agent comprises from about 0.1 percent to about 10 percent by weight of said aligned liquid crystalline composition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said imagewise layer of aligned liquid crystalline composition is provided in a thickness not greater than about 250 microns.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein an overcoating layer is provided over said imagewise and background layers of liquid crystalline composition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as defined in claim 4 wherein said overcoating layer is a substantially transparent material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said imagewise and background layers of liquid crystalline composition are viewed between polarizers in transmItted light.