Showa Shell Sekiyu K.k.

Showa Shell Sekiyu Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Showa Shell Sekiyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Ichiro Kawamura

Yoshiichi Suzuki

Noriko Yamakawa

Takashi Hagiwara

Hiroyuki Mogamiya

Yoshihiko Aihara

Norio Yamamoto

Yuichiro Yamada

Koichi Numazawa

Masao Tokunaga

Yoshio Imai

Tadaaki Isozaki

Nobuhiro Okabe

Shigenori Sakuma

Yuvraj S Negi

Tohru Ohode

Kahoru Mori

Horiyuki Mogamiya

The novel liquid crystal compounds of the present invention are represented by the following formulas �I!-�II! and have tristable molecular orientation states and can be used for display devices and electrooptical devices. ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group of 5-18 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 represents an alkyl group of 6-16 carbon atoms; R.sub.3 represents an alkyl group of 8-18 carbon atoms; R.sub.4 represents an alkyl group of 6-14 carbon atoms; Y represents ##STR2## and * indicates an optically active center.

Liquid crystal compound

A liquid crystal compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group having from 3 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 represents an alkyl group having from 3 to 18 carbon atoms; X represents ##STR2## Y represents ##STR3## (A) and (B) each represents a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR4## and ##STR5## and * indicates an optically active center.

Liquid crystal compounds

A liquid crystal orientation controlling membrane, characterized by the polyimide membrane comprising the repeating unit represented by the formula: ##STR1## wherein Ar.sub.1 represents a diamine moiety which is selected from the group consisting of ##STR2## Ar.sub.2 represents tetravalent carboxylic acid moiety which is selected from the group consisting of ##STR3## Another invention is a ferroelectric liquid crystal element or an antiferroelectric liquid crystal element using the polyimide orientation controlling membrane mentioned above. The present liquid crystal element is used to a large picture display with high resolution, a TV picture display with wide viewing angle and a liquid crystal optical shutter.

Liquid crystal orientation controlling membranes and liquid crystal

An antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound of the following formulae: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each is an alkyl group of C.sub.4 - C.sub.18, Rf is CF.sub.3 or C.sub.2 F.sub.5, X is O, COO, or a single bond, and * shows an optically active carbon atom.

Antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound

(R)- and (S)-enantiomer composition represented by the formula (I) having sufficient high optical purity for exhibiting optically tristable states in S*(3) phase; ##STR1## wherein Ra means a C.sub.5 -C.sub.14 alkyl group or a C.sub.5 -C.sub.14 alkoxy group, preferably a C.sub.5 -C.sub.14 alkyl group, Rb means a C.sub.4 -C.sub.12 normal alkyl group or a C.sub.4 -C.sub.12 branched alkyl group, X means a ##STR2## group or a ##STR3## group, Z means a fluorine containing alkyl group, preferably a trifluoromethyl group and * shows an optically active carbon.

A liquid crystal compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group having from 3 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 represents an alkyl group having from 3 to 18 carbon atoms; X represents ##STR2## (A) and (B) each represents a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR3## and * indicates an optically active center.

Liquid crystal compounds represented by the formula; ##STR1## in which Ra means an alkyl group of 1-20 carbon atoms or an alkoxy group of 1-20 carbon atoms; Rb means an aliphatic alkyl group, a branched alkyl group or an aralkyl group respectively of 1-20 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1-20 carbon atoms, or an alkanoyl methyl group having 1-20 carbon atoms in the alkyl; ##STR2## Z means a fluorinated alkyl or a fluorinated haloalkyl; m is an integer of from 1 to 3; n is an integer of from 0 to 2 where when n is 0, Y is a single bond; and * shows an optically active center, which have a larger spontaneous polarization, high speed of response and good orientation, and show tristable liquid crystal phase.

The invention lies particularly in novel compounds represented by the general formula; ##STR1## in which Z means CF.sub.3, CHF.sub.2, CH.sub.2 F, CClF.sub.2, CCl.sub.2 F, CHCLF, CCl.sub.3, C.sub.2 F.sub.2 or a perfluoroalkyl group of 3 or more carbon atoms, m and n are same or different with each other and represent an integral of 1-20, which are ferroelectric and chiral smetic liquid crystals of a large spontaneous polarization, a high speed of response and a good orientation, and showing a liquid crystal phase of tristable state and an electoclinic effect to be used as a liquid crystal element superior in an image display response.

Ferrelectric chiral smetic liquid crystal compound are provided which have the formula, for example ##STR1## wherein R is a C.sub.1-20 alkyl group.

A new tetrastable liquid crystal is provided which is useful for display and switching devices. The liquid crystal has the formula ##STR1## where R.sub.1 is a C.sub.5-18 alkyl group and R.sub.2 is a C.sub.4-15 alkyl group and * is an optically active center.

A liquid crystal compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group having from 5 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 represents an alkyl group having from 4 to 15 carbon atoms; X represents a single bond, --O--, ##STR2## and * indicates an optically active center. The compound exhibits three stable states of molecular orientation.

There is disclosed herein a ferroelectric liquid crystal electro-optical apparatus of the maxtrix type comprising a liquid crystal cell having first and second electrode substrates which include n striped line electrodes and m striped column electrodes, respectively, facing at right angles each other. A ferroelectric liquid crystal is put in therebetween so as to form n by m indication picture elements. Also included in the apparatus a scanning drive device adapted to supply a scanning signal and a data signal to the n striped line electrodes and the m striped column electrodes, respectively. The ferroelectric liquid crystal shows three stable states in accordance with an application voltage and has a light transmittance with a hysteresis sufficient to a dynamic drive in accordance with increase or decrease in the application voltage in a predetermined voltage range. The scanning drive device produces a first combination signal as a signal running to variation from a voltage below a refernece voltage in a predetermined one polarity voltage range to a voltage above the reference voltage and produces a second combination signal as a signal which does not exceed the reference voltage in the range, and supplies a direct-current combination signal between the electrodes after the supply of the first and second combination signal thereto.

Ferroelectric liquid crystal electro-optic apparatus and manufacturing

A compound of ##STR1## (wherein n is an integer from 2 to 15; R' is ##STR2## m is total number of carbon atoms in R' and is an integer from 5 to 12, and * mark shows asymmetric carbon atom) which is useful for an electric indicative element of liquid crystal is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Ichiro Kawamura