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 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 substrate. 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.
A METHOD FOR PROVIDING SPONTANEOUSLY ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE FILM COMPRISING PROVIDING A SUBSTRATE; AND PROVIDING ON SAID SUBSTRATE A LAYER CLAIM AN ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION COMPRISING A SMECTIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL AND AN ALIGNING AGENT, SAID ALIGNING AGENT COMPRISING A POLYAMIDE RESIN SURFACTANT MATERIAL, WHEREBY SAID LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITION SPONTANEOUSLY ALIGNS WTH THE MAJOR MOLECULAR AXES OF A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE MOLECULES OF THE LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE SUBSTRATE.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
27 words
The method as defined in cliam 1 wherein said aligning agent comprises from about 0.1 percent to about 10 percent by weight of said liquid crystalline composition.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
27 words
The method as defined in cliam 1 wherein said aligning agent comprises from about 0.1 percent to about 10 percent by weight of said liquid crystalline composition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said layer of liquid crystalline composition is provided in a thickness not greater than about 250 microns.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as defined in claim 1 and further including providing an overcoating layer over said layer of liquid crystalline composition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as defined in claim 4 wherein said overcoating layer is substantially transparent.