Apparatus and method for manufacturing encapsulated liquid crystals and liquid crystal display including the encapsulated liquid crystals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9146415-B2
Application number	US-201113211513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2011
Priority date	Dec 22, 2010
Publication date	Sep 29, 2015
Grant date	Sep 29, 2015

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing encapsulated liquid crystals including at least one first flow duct configured to have liquid crystals flow therethrough, at least one second flow duct configured to have encapsulation film materials flow therethrough, a third flow duct configured to have an inflow portion connected to an outflow portion of the first flow duct and an outflow portion of the second flow duct and to have liquid crystal droplets in which the liquid crystals and the encapsulation film materials are mixed flow therethrough, and a curing machine configured to manufacture the encapsulated liquid crystals by curing the liquid crystal droplets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:
a first substrate;
a first electrode formed on the first substrate;
a second substrate configured to face the first substrate;
a second electrode formed on the second substrate; and
a liquid crystal layer formed between the first electrode and the second electrode and configured to include a plurality of encapsulated liquid crystals, including liquid crystals and encapsulation films each surrounding the liquid crystals,
wherein a diameter of each of the plurality of encapsulated liquid crystals has a deviation of ±6.5% from an average diameter of the plurality of encapsulated liquid crystals, and wherein the encapsulation films are comprised of a different material than the liquid crystals,
the liquid crystals are inserted into a first flow duct using a first injector;
encapsulation film materials are injected into a second flow duct using a second injector;
liquid crystal droplets being produced upon the liquid crystals and the encapsulation film materials being mixed at a liquid crystal droplet generator where an outflow portion of the first flow duct, an outflow portion of the second flow duct, and an inflow portion of a third flow duct are met; and
the encapsulated liquid crystals each surrounded by cured encapsulation film materials that surround the liquid crystals of each of the liquid crystal droplets.

2. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the encapsulated liquid crystals comprise cholesteric liquid crystals and encapsulation films each surrounding the cholesteric liquid crystals.

3. The liquid crystal display device of claim 2 , wherein the liquid crystal layer includes only one of left-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals and right-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals.

4. The liquid crystal display device of claim 3 , wherein the encapsulation film is comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of a silica-based or fluorine-based UV-curable surface active agent, different kinds of curable surface active agents, deionized gelatine, polyvinyl alcohol, and latex.

5. The liquid crystal display device of claim 2 , wherein the cholesteric encapsulation film has a thickness of 1 nm to 10 microns, and a diameter of the cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals may range from 10 nm to 100 microns.

6. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the encapsulated liquid crystals comprise:
left-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals, including left-handed cholesteric liquid crystals and left-handed cholesteric encapsulation films each surrounding the left-handed cholesteric liquid crystals; and
right-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals, including right-handed cholesteric liquid crystals and right-handed cholesteric encapsulation films each surrounding the right-handed cholesteric liquid crystals.

7. The liquid crystal display device of claim 6 , wherein the left-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals form a left-handed cholestric liquid crystal encapsulation layer, and
the right-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals form a right-handed cholestric liquid crystal encapsulation layer.

8. The liquid crystal display device of claim 6 , wherein the liquid crystal layer is composed of a single layer that includes dispersions of both the left-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals and the right-handed cholesteric encapsulated liquid crystals.

9. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the encapsulated liquid crystals comprise nematic encapsulated liquid crystals, including nematic liquid crystals and nematic encapsulation films each surrounding the nematic liquid crystals.

10. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the encapsulated liquid crystals are evenly dispersed.

11. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the encapsulated liquid crystals form at least one layer.

12. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , further comprises nanoparticles dispersed between the encapsulated liquid crystals, each of the nanoparticles having a diameter in the range of 10 nm to 1 micron, the nanoparticles being comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of gold, silver, carbon nanotube and ferroelectric materials.

13. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the encapsulation film has a thickness of 1 nm to 10 μm.

14. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystals are arranged as a single layer, the liquid crystal layer further comprising a plurality of nanoparticles being in contact with the liquid crystal layer and being adhered between the encapsulated liquid crystals.

15. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14 , wherein each of the nanoparticles has a diameter in the range of 10 nm to 1 micron, the nanoparticles being comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of gold, silver, carbon nanotube and ferroelectric materials.

16. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:
a first substrate;
a first electrode arranged on the first substrate;
a second substrate configured to face the first substrate;
a second electrode arranged on the second substrate; and
a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode and configured to include a plurality of encapsulated liquid crystals, including a plurality of liquid crystals and encapsulation films each surrounding the liquid crystals, wherein:
the liquid crystals are inserted into a first flow duct using a first injector;
encapsulation film materials are injected into a second flow duct using a second injector;
liquid crystal droplets being produced upon the liquid crystals and the encapsulation film materials being mixed at a liquid crystal droplet generator where an outflow portion of the first flow duct, an outflow portion of the second flow duct, and an inflow portion of a third flow duct meet;
the liquid crystals of each droplet surrounded by the encapsulation film materials through a self-assembly effect; and
the encapsulated liquid crystals, each being surrounded by a cured encapsulation film that surrounds each of the liquid crystal droplets, wherein a diameter of each of the first, second and third flow ducts is in micrometer units, the encapsulation films are comprised of a different material than that of the liquid crystals.

17. The liquid crystal display device of claim 16 , wherein a flow rate of the liquid crystals in the first flow duct is 37 μl/minute and the flow rate of the encapsulation film materials in the second flow duct is 5000 μl/min, the encapsulation film materials comprise a material selected from a group consisting of a silica-based or fluorine-based UV-curable surface active agent, different kinds of curable surface active agents, deionized gelatine, polyvinyl alcohol, and latex.

Assignees

• Baek Jong-In
• Uh Kee-Han
• Kim Jae-Hyun
• Jhun Chul Gyu
• Park Won-Sang
• Lim Jae-Ik
• Samsung Display Co Ltd
• Univ Hoseo Acad Coop Found

Inventors

• Baek Jong-In
• Uh Kee-Han
• Kim Jae-Hyun
• Jhun Chul Gyu
• Park Won-Sang
• Lim Jae-Ik

Classifications

• C09K19/544

  as dispersing or encapsulating medium around the liquid crystal · CPC title

• G02F1/1334 Primary

  based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals · CPC title

• B01J13/14

  Polymerisation; cross-linking · CPC title