Self-Organisation and Self-Assembly in Aliphatic Based Liquid Crystals

Over the last decade LCDs have become the standard technology for mobile phones, PC monitors and televisions. Practically all of these devices are based on nematic LCs. However, the switching times of tens of milliseconds are still an issue for some video frame rate applications, particularly with future LCD-TVs expected to become more complex with the refresh rates moving towards the 200 - 400 Hz range, and applications developing from multiscreen to 3D displays. Projection devices are also set for sustained future growth, with picoprojectors fronting a new wave of applications for mobile projection devices. In particular, such devices will be incorporated into mobile telephones and PC tablets with the promised increase in bandwidth available for downloading video. Light projection will also extend to phase modulation and thus to volumetric imaging and moving holograms. For example, it was recently reported in the Sunday Times that USA scientists had developed switchable holographic devices to give Sci-Fi moving volumetric images. In the UK work on this concept was at a more advanced stage than it currently is in the USA, however, processing power and materials development were the main factors that held up progress. Since then processing power has more than doubled, but materials development has been restrained by the commercial requirements of large area flat-screen TVs.

- For display and projection technologies to become realities there is a need for the development of faster switching liquid crystals.

Current light emissive or back-lit displays are not particularly acceptable for outdoor applications. Both LCD and OLED displays can be overpowered in bright daylight, and are difficult to read when used in mobile telephones. Trans-reflective modes in LCDs show some possible advantages, but they are difficult to manufacture, leaving the only possibility of increasing the intensity of the light source or using light scattering mode devices, eg the Amazon Kindle. However, the world is moving towards a paperless society, and, for example, with the advent of electronic books the demise of conventional paperback appears to be inevitable. One simple advantage of E-readers over books is that they will cut down on the weight of items carried by the travelling public, particularly for air travel. Furthermore, the reduced use of paper will have additional environmental benefits. However, daylight viewing is a necessity. Although electrophoretic displays offer the advantage of being light scattering devices, and so are easy to read in full daylight, they are slow and cannot offer video-frame rate responses, and they are monochrome and do not provide colour switching.

- For outdoor electronic displays to become everyday realities there is a need for the development of new device concepts. One possibility is via the light scattering modes provided by smectic liquid crystals.

The major restraints on the developments of these technologies lies at the heart of the design and nature of the materials that provide the switching or phase modulation of the light.

In this proposal we aim to use the technique of nanophase segregation of the inter-molecular interactions in the chemical design of responsive materials in order to provide self-assembled systems with faster switching coupled with a possibility for providing superior light scattering properties.

The outcomes of the science of this programme will be the creation of new design and synthesis pathways to ferroelectric and polar smectic liquid crystals. The design features will provide new insights into self-organisation and self-assembly processes in condensed fluids, which will be of interest to chemists, physicists, engineers and theoreticians alike. It is also intended that the work will lead to the creation of new materials and eventually to new light scattering displays for use out doors, and to low refractive index liquid crystal on silicon wafers for use in light projection devices. The potential applications of the research will be of interest to UK spin out companies Kingston Chemicals and Forth Dimension Displays, and the Chinese Company Halation Photonics.

Academic Impact:

Publications: Publications will be sought through the normal channels in high-impact scientific journals and scientific conferences and symposia. With respect to oral/poster dissemination, we intend to disseminate our academic work at the biennial International Liquid Crystal Conference and the annual national British Liquid Crystal Society conference. In addition, we also intend to develop our web site to promote the results of our work.

Transfer of Knowledge to Other Disciplines: The materials produced will be of considerable interest to physicists and engineers, eg Professor Gleeson and Dr Dierking at the Department of Physics Manchester University, Professor Vij of the Engineering Department, Trinity College, Dublin, and Dr Chu and Dr Wilkinson at the CAPE Centre of the University of Cambridge. In addition the results of the work will be of interest to academics involved in theory and computer simulations such as Professor Wilson at Durham University and Professor Osipov at Strathclyde.

Industrial and Commercial Impact:

Intellectual Property: We intend to ensure that where intellectual property rights (IPR) are identified, decisions on patents will be progressed via meetings with the University's Research and Innovation Office (RIO). Pathways to exploitation will take the three possible routes, (i) patent protection, (ii) technology transfer and potential licensing to another party, and (iii) consideration of developing spin-off activities.

Dissemination to External Parties: We will investigate opportunities to communicate with the industrial base via business facing journals and trade magazines. We will also present our work via oral and poster presentations at conferences where there is an opportunity to interface with potential industrial partners, for example the Society of Information Display (SID), the Society for Photooptical and Instrument Engineers (SPIE), and the Materials Research Society Conference (MRS).

Industrial Networking: Working with York RIO, we will undertake a programme of industrial engagement. There are a number of companies that would be interested in the work, for example, Kingston Chemicals (UK), Forth Dimension Displays (UK), Dainippon Ink (Japan), Halation (China) and Micron Technologies (USA). We have links with a number of these companies, but obviously Kingston in the UK would be our preferred partner for examining the possibilities of technology transfer with. The company is active in the commercialisation of ferroelectric liquid crystals and is in collaboration with Micron Technologies, exporting high value materials to Micron on a relatively regular basis.