Precursor particle for forming liquid crystal alignment layer, liquid crystal display panel, and method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016154278-A1
Application number	US-201514661974-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 2, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A liquid crystal device that includes two substrates that face each other, a liquid crystal cell interposed between the two substrates, and a liquid crystal alignment layer interposed between the liquid crystal cell and at least one of the two substrates, the liquid crystal alignment layer includes a plurality of spherical or spherical-like core particles having a diameter of 10 nm to 1 μm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, comprising:
an upper substrate facing a lower substrate; a liquid crystal cell arranged between the upper substrate and the lower substrate; and a liquid crystal alignment layer arranged between the liquid crystal cell and at least one of the upper and the lower substrates, the liquid crystal alignment layer including a plurality of spherical or spherical-like core particles having a diameter of 10 nm to 1 μm.

2 . The LCD panel of claim 1 , wherein the core particles each have a diameter of 10 to 500 nm.

3 . The LCD panel of claim 2 , wherein the core particles each have a diameter of 10 to 200 nm.

4 . The LCD panel of claim 1 , wherein the core particles are comprised of one of an inorganic oxide and an organic polymer compound.

5 . The LCD panel of claim 4 , wherein the inorganic oxide is comprised of one of silicon oxide, silica and aluminum oxide, and the organic polymer compound is comprised of one of polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, and polyacrylate.

6 . The LCD panel of claim 1 , wherein each of the core particles includes an electron-pair donor on a surface thereof.

7 . The LCD panel of claim 6 , wherein the electron-pair donor is comprised of at least one functional group selected from a group consisting of hydroxyl group (—OH), an amine group (—N, —NH, —NH 2 ), a thiol group (—SH), an aldehyde group (—COH), and a carboxyl group (—COOH).

8 . The LCD panel of claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal alignment layer further comprises a C 3 -C 30 saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon.

9 . The LCD panel of claim 8 , wherein the liquid crystal alignment layer further comprises a photopolymerization functional group that is polymerized by light, wherein the photopolymerization functional group is bonded to the C 3 -C 30 saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon.

10 . The LCD panel of claim 9 , wherein the photopolymerization functional group is comprised of a functional group selected from a group consisting of an acryl group, a methacryl group, a cinnamate group, a cinnamamide group, a maleimide group, a coumarin group, an ene group (—C≡C—), a diene group, a thiol-ene group, a chalcone group, and combinations of the same.

11 . The LCD panel of claim 10 , wherein the photopolymerization functional group and the C 3 -C 30 hydrocarbon are attached to a surface of one of the core particles by at least one linker selected from a group consisting of Si, —C═O—, —COO—, —(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )O—, —(P═O)O 2 —and —O(P═O)O 2 —, wherein the linker is bonded to the C 3 -C 30 saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon.

12 . The LCD panel of claim 8 , wherein the liquid crystal alignment layer further comprises at least one linker selected from a group consisting of Si, —C═O—, —COO—, —(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )O—, —(P═O)O 2 — and —O(P═O)O 2 —, wherein the linker is bonded to the C 3 -C 30 saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon.

13 . The LCD panel of claim 1 , wherein each of the core particles have a surface that attaches to at least one C 3 -C 30 hydrocarbon substituted by a photopolymerization functional group selected from a group consisting of an acryl group, a methacryl group, a cinnamate group, a coumarin group, a vinyl group, a thiol group, an ene group, a diene group, a thiol-ene group, an acetylene group, an acryloxy group, a methacryloxy group, and combinations of the same.

14 . A precursor particle for forming a liquid crystal alignment layer, the precursor particle being represented by formula (1) below:
P—X—R,  (1)
wherein P is a spherical or spherical-like core particle having a diameter of 10 nm to 1 μm and having a surface introduced with at least one electron pair donor selected from a group consisting of a hydroxyl group (—OH), an amine group (—N, —NH, —NH 2 ), a thiol group (—SH), an aldehyde group (—COH) and a carboxyl group (—COOH), X being at least one linker selected from a group consisting of Si, —C═O—, —COO—, —(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )O—, —(P═O)O 2 — and —O(P═O)O 2 —, and R being a saturated or an unsaturated hydrocarbon including 3 to 30 carbon atoms.

15 . The precursor particle of claim 14 , wherein the (R) saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon including 3 to 30 carbon atoms is substituted with a photoreactive group selected from a group consisting of an acryl group, a methacryl group, a cinnamate group, a coumarin group, a vinyl group, a thiol group, an ene group, a diene group, a thiol-ene group, an acetylene group, an acryloxy group, a methacryloxy group, and combinations of the same.

16 . The precursor particle of claim 14 , wherein the core particle has a diameter of 10 to 500 nm.

17 . The precursor particle of claim 16 , wherein the core particle has a diameter of 10 to 200 nm.

18 . The precursor particle of claim 14 , the core particle P is comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide.

19 . A method of manufacturing an LCD panel, comprising:
placing an upper substrate and a lower substrate to face each other; forming a liquid crystal composition that includes a plurality of liquid crystals and a plurality of precursor particles represented by formula (1) below,
P—X—R,  (1)

wherein P is a spherical or spherical-like core particle having a diameter of 10 nm to 1 μm and having a surface introduced with at least one electron pair donor selected from a group consisting of a hydroxyl group (—OH), an amine group (—N, —NH, —NH 2 ), a thiol group (—SH), an aldehyde group (—COH) and a carboxyl group (—COOH), X being at least one linker selected from a group consisting of Si, —C═O—, —COO—, —(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )—, —O(SO 2 )O—, —(P═O)O 2 — and —O(P═O)O 2 —, and R being a saturated or an unsaturated hydrocarbon including 3 to 30 carbon atoms; and injecting the liquid crystal composition between the upper and the lower substrates.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising irradiating the liquid crystal composition with ultraviolet radiation while applying an electric field to the liquid crystal composition after the injecting, wherein the (R) saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon including 3 to 30 carbon atoms is substituted by a photoreactive group selected from a group consisting of an acryl group, a methacryl group, a cinnamate group, a coumarin group, a vinyl group, a thiol group, an ene group, a diene group, a thiol-ene group, an acetylene group, an acryloxy group, a methacryloxy group, and combinations of the same.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd
• Nat Univ Chonbuk Ind Coop Found

Inventors

• Kang Shin Woong
• Jeong Kwang Un
• Ahn Byung Wook
• Oh Keun Chan
• Lee Chang Hun

Classifications

• C09K19/56

  Aligning agents · CPC title

• G02F1/1341

  Filling or closing of cells · CPC title

• G02F1/133788

  by light irradiation, e.g. linearly polarised light photo-polymerisation · CPC title

• G02F1/133711 Primary

  by organic films, e.g. polymeric films · CPC title

• G02F1/1337 Primary

  Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers · CPC title