Nissan Motor Company Limited

Nissan North America, Inc.

Shunta Nabetani

Masao Yoshida

Fuminori Satou

Maki Shimada

Shigemasa Kuwata

Balachandran Gadaguntla Radhakrishnan

Yoshimi Ohta

Manas Likhit Holekevi Chandrappa

Sogol Lotfi

Yoshimi Ota

Masanobu Uchimura

Simran Kumari

A liquid crystal optical element includes an optical function layer and two transparent substrates. The optical function layer is sandwiched between two transparent substrates. The optical function layer contains liquid crystal molecules and a photoisomerization material. The liquid crystal optical element switches between a light-transmitting state and a light-scattering state according to an orientation state of the liquid crystal molecules. The optical function layer holds the liquid crystal molecules and the photoisomerization material within a mesh structure formed of a resin-particle aggregate. Therefore, light can be strongly scattered when the liquid crystal optical element is in a screen state, and a high-contrast image is obtained when visible light is projected onto the liquid crystal optical element.

Liquid crystal optical element

A chiral azobenzene dopant with helical twisting power has a structure represented by the following formula (I): wherein Z and Z' are independently selected from the group consisting of naphthalene and phenanthrene; when Z or Z′ is naphthalene, the naphthalene optionally has Rat the 6 position and Rat the 6′ position; when Z or Z′ is phenanthrene, the phenanthrene optionally has Rat the 7 position and Rat the 7′ position; R, R, R, and Rare independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, an alkoxy group having 1 to 20 carbons, an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbons, and an aryloxy group having 6 to 20 carbons; and on any R, R, R, and R, on any CHa CHis optionally attached by replacing a hydrogen on a CH.

Chiral azobenzene dopants with increased delta helical twisting power

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Kanagawa, Japan

Shunta Nabetani