A simple technique for introducing a hybrid alignment or a homeotropic (vertical) alignment into liquid crystal films, which, by their nature, tend to have a horizontal alignment of liquid crystal molecules. The technique does not require special alignment films.
A liquid crystal composition for forming a liquid crystal film contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound and a hydrolysate of an alkoxysilane compound. The hydrolysate of the alkoxysilane compound contains a siloxane oligomer of which degree of polymerization is from 2 to 25. Furthermore, the alkoxysilane compound is a trialkoxysilane compound having a functional group. This liquid crystal film composition can be produced by hydrolyzing an alkoxysilane compound to obtain a hydrolysate and then uniformly mixing the hydrolysate with a polymerizable liquid crystal compound. Alternatively, it can be obtained by uniformly mixing the alkoxysilane compound with the polymerizable liquid crystal compound and subsequently hydrolyzing the alkoxysilane compound in the mixture. One mole of the alkoxysilane compound is preferably hydrolyzed with 0.1d to 2.0d mol of water, given that the number of alkoxyl groups in a molecule of the alkoxysilane compound is d. An optically anisotropic film can be obtained by applying the liquid crystal film composition to a base film, causing the liquid crystal molecules in the composition to align in a nematic alignment, and curing the composition. The alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the film is preferably a nematic hybrid or nematic homeotropic (vertical) alignment.
一种将混合排列或各向同性(垂直)排列引入液晶膜的简单技术,液晶膜的本质是液晶分子的
水平排列。这种技术不需要特殊的配向膜。
用于形成液晶膜的液晶组合物包含一种可聚合液晶化合物和一种烷氧基
硅烷化合物的
水解物。烷氧基
硅烷化合物的
水解物含有
硅氧烷低聚物,其聚合度为 2 至 25。此外,烷氧基
硅烷化合物是一种具有官能团的三烷氧基
硅烷化合物。这种液晶膜组合物可以通过
水解烷氧基
硅烷化合物得到
水解物,然后将
水解物与可聚合液晶化合物均匀混合而制得。另一种方法是将烷氧基
硅烷化合物与可聚合液晶化合物均匀混合,然后
水解混合物中的烷氧基
硅烷化合物。将液晶膜组合物涂在基膜上,使组合物中的液晶分子向列排列,然后将组合物固化,即可得到光学各向异性膜。薄膜中液晶分子的排列最好是向列混合排列或向列各向同性(垂直)排列。