Lyotrop ic liquid crystal (LLC) , one of the liquid crystalline phases, commonly was used to describe materials composed of amphiphilic molecules and solvents. The amphiphilic molecules comprise a hydrophilic head group and a hydrophobic group, whose typical example is phospholipid. In recent years, LLC, as a form of supramolecule, has attracted many researchers' attention owing to their excellent potential as drug delivery systems. In this work, stimuli-responsive azobenzene-containing amphiphilic phosphate derivatives (X-Az-Y-6-PC), showing a LLC phase in water, were designed and prepared. Then, by mixing 2 different kinds of X-Az-Y-6-PC, vesicles or fibers were obtained. Finally, the effect of light on self-assembled supramolecules was investigated.

We study pair interactions and self-assembly of 3D colloidal structures in chiral nematics. Laser tweezers -assisted quenching of the local nematic order was used to study the pair interactions in chiral nematic colloids. The self-assembly of the 2D and 3D structures were observed starting from R/p ≥ 1 of the particle diameter R to the cholesteric pitch p ratio in the chiral nematic matrix . In addition to this, we have shown entangled periodic 2D and 3D chiral nematic colloidal structures using AC electric fields . The external field was used to force the colloids into the layered structures towards periodic arrangement of 2D and 3D structures without voids. Furthermore, we observed colloids in 3D, packing differently for odd and even number of layers shown in Fig.1. We also confirmed that these struct ures are not bound by van der Waals attraction by heating the sample into the isotropic phase.

The blend of liquid crystalline phthalocyanine and PCBM is an interesting system for the active layer of BHJ organic solar cells. However, the miscibility and phase separation properties of these compounds have not yet been clarified. In this work, phase behaviour of the blends was studied for the alkyl homologues of np-phthalocyanine liquid crystal. It was found that non-peripheral hexaalkylphthalocyanine (CnPcH2) shows alkyl chain length dependence on the miscibility with PCBM. Interestingly, some homologues exhibit the miscibility limit up to 25 mole% of PCBM in Colh mesophase and carrier mobility shows a maximum for the blends with a critical component ratio.

Systematic studies were undertaken in the selected liquid crystalline Schiff bases showing well-ordered smectic B (SmB) phase in order to check the changes of reorganization of molecules in phase transitions observed. Using complementary experimental methods helps in understanding how the Iso - SmA, Iso - SmB, SmA - SmB and SmB - SmE transitions influence structural properties and molecular dynamics. In particular the infrared (FT-IR) and dielectric (DS) spectra, results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized microscope textures (POM) and X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) of 5BBAA were studied as a function of temperature. The obtained data are discussed in relation to molecular dynamic s and structure of each phase.

The alignment methods of liquid crystals (LC) and reactive mesogens alternative to traditional rubbing technique will be reviewed. Classification of such methods, their strengths and weaknesses as well as practical realization will be considered. A special attention will be paid to the methods of photoalignment and ion/plasma beam alignment, which are believed to be the most promising for practical use. Highlighting these methods, the author will be primarily based on long-term experience of own laboratory. New classes of photoaligning materials, exposure schemes and the methods to stabilize LC alignment will be reported. Alignment processing by particle beams formed in high vacuum and at atmospheric pressure will be considered. New opportunities offered by these techniques to LC devices will be discussed.

Gold(I) complexes are known to be good candidates for materials exhibiting strong emission in condensed phase due to aurophilic interaction. We have been developing gold complexes with mesogenic moiety to control emission properties as well as the aggregated structure. In this work, we report the first synthesis of liquid-crystalline (LC) copolymers with gold complex and discuss their therm al stability, LC behavior, and photophysical properties.

Cybotactic nematic (Ncyb) phase s have been investigated inten sively for consideration in the field of biaxial nematic liquid crystals. Furthermore, bent -core molecules exhibiting an Ncyb phase are reported to stabilize a blue phase. We prepared some binary mixtures of a U-shaped compound exhibiting an Ncyb phase and a chiral additive. We investigated their phase transition behavior using polarized optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The U-shaped catechol derivative doped with a chiral compound possessing high twisting power was found to show blue phases with a wide temperature range more than 20 K.

Polymer morphologies are observed in polymer stabilized liquid crystal cell by using different liquid crystal materials. Influence of liquid crystal materials on polymer morphology and electro-optical properties are discussed. The Vth is strongly affected by the morphology not by the dielectric constant anisotropy of the LC. Solubility of polymer and liquid crystal and adsorption of liquid crystal on the polymer surface are also discussed.

Liquid crystals (LCs) are attractive optical materials due to their large optical nonlinearity. However, such nonlinearity could only be observed at very high light intensities, requiring costly high-power laser sources. Here we show that nonlinear optical effect is induced with a 1-mW laser pointer. We prepared dye-doped polymer-stabilized LC with hybrid molecular alignment. Hybrid alignment refers to homeotropic molecular director at one surface while homogeneous molecular director at the other. Nonlinear optical effect working at low light intensity may significantly expand the practical use of nonlinear optics.

While studies by polarized microscope observation have been reported in various phases of chiral nematic liquid crystal(N^*LC), the molecular orientation change in the phase transition were still under discussion. In this study, the polarized microscopic FT -IR spectroscopy has been applied for st udy on molecular orientation of N^*LC by the phase transition . The vertical molecular orientation change has been determined by ban d intensity ratio CN/CH2 of non -polarized IR spectra. The orientation change of phase transition between BPⅠand N* has been characterized by variation of band intensity of CN stretching mode in polarized IR spectra.

Recently, we reported a novel type of ferroelectric liquid crystal (ferroelectric columnar LC: FCLC) phase in a tapered -paraffinic -wedge molecular system, which may open the possibility of "paintable nano-ferroelectrics" or "large monodomain soft-matter ferroelectrics". However, its stabilization mechanism of the spontaneous polarization and molecular dynamics of the ferroelectric switching have not been clear yet. For further molecular design, particularly as for practical application, these physical/chemical mechanisms must be clarified. For this sake, one of the second-order nonlinear optical techniques, VIS -IR sum-frequency generation spectroscopy, was carried out to to identify the specific molecular part contributing the polar switching in this system.

We demonstrate that the cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) gels, which are a CLC elastomer swollen by a low molecular LC solvent (5CB), exhibit simultaneously the electrooptical and electromechanical effects in fast response to imposed electric field along the helical axis. Under sufficiently high electric fields, the CLC gels show a stretching exceeding 30% along the field direction as well as a finite red- shift of the selective reflection notch.

Liquid-crystal-loaded microwave and milliwave devices have one serious problem, that is, the response time when the voltage is removed, is very long as the order of 10 s, because the thickness of their liquid crystal layer is typically more than 50 μ m. For improvement of the response time, a polymer stabilized nematic liquid crystal is considered. In this study, numerical and experimental studies of polymer stabilized nematic liquid crystal are performed for response analysis. In calculation, polymer network is defined as a strong anchoring boundary. The relations between the density of polymer network and the response time are clarified as compared with experimental results.

In a certain type of Ru(Ⅲ) complex molecule that has a great helical twisting power (HTP), it has been reported that HTP is systematically increased by the type or the number of subsitituents. We have not understood, however, the relationship between the molecular structure of the Ru( Ⅲ) complexes and the magnitude of the induced chirality. Therefore, in order to reveal how the HTP of the Ru( Ⅲ) complex is determined, we performed molecular dynamics simulations for the system of the nematic liquid crystal doped with the Ru(Ⅲ) complex.

We present a mean eld theory to describe phase behaviors in mixtures of a exible polymer and a cholesteric liquid crystal under an external magnetic or electric eld. Taking into account a chiral potential between liquid crystals under the external eld, we examine twist-untwist phase transitions and phase separations in the mixtures. It is found that a cholesteric-nematic phase transition (CNT) can be induced by not only the external eld but also concentration and temperature. Depending on the strength of the external eld, we predict cholesteric-paranematic (Ch+pN), nematic-paranematic (N+pN), cholesteric-nematic (Ch+N) phase separations, etc, on the temperature-concentration plane.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have attracted a great deal of attention. In addition, periodic arrays of QDs have a considerable potential in novel applicat ions. Recently, we developed liquid-crystalline (LC) organic-inorganic hybrid dendrimers, where the dendrimer has a spherical gold nanoparticle (NP) at its core. Dense surface modification of the NPs with LC dendrons was found to exhibit a thermotropic LC phase with simple cubic structure. In the present study, we focus on imparting such ability to self-organize onto QD nanospheres. As a result, dendron-modified QDs were obtained, displaying ordered superlattices. Such structures were found to exhibit unusual photoluminescence behavior.

We present novel side-chain photo-polymers having cinnamoyl moieties for photo-alignment. The planar aligning materials are highly UV sensitive (313nm, 150mJ/cm²) . They target in-plane switched (IPS)-LCDs with excellent AC-image sticking, comparable to brushed polyimides.

Fast ferroelectric liquid crystal devices (FLCD) are achieved through the application of nanoscale photo aligning (PA) layers in FLC cells. The novel photoaligned FLC devices may include field sequential color (FSC) FLC with a high resolution, high brightness, low power consumption and extended color gamut to be used for PCs, PDAs, switchable goggles, and new generation of switchable 2D/3D LCD TVs, as well as photonics elements such as voltage controllable lenses, light converters, beam steering devices, light modulators, diffraction gratings etc. The FSC FLC micro display is now one of the most advanced technologies for pico-projectors.

Doping of the nanoparticles of Aerosil 812 and 300(EVONIK) and PγCyD-ZrO2 into NTN-LCDs with NLC, NTN-01 or 02(DIC) brings the reduction of not only response time by -40% even below zero deg C and but also threshold voltage by -7%. This is reproduced by raising temperature on pure NLC by 10deg C that is called Kobayashi temperature; and this corresponds to the reduction of order parameter by -14%. Using these NLC/nanoparticle system, we fabricated a FSC-LCD that produces the Luminance efficiency of 5.1cd/W clearing the Energy Star Program Version 5-3 and realizing excellent visibility under the direct sunshine and having the color gamut of 140% of NTSC. In addition to this, we report another approach for getting high speed response in ECB(TB)-LCD by the adoption of optical compensation. The approach is such that: make a cross stacking of TB cell whose phase difference between the e-wave and o-wave, Δis chosen so as to be Δ/2=π/2+α, where the α takes to be -0.1~-0.5; this brings from twofold to fivefold reduction of response time for the switching off process, in practical the one of the optical component will be a-plate optical compensator.

Based on past studies of fundamental properties and applications of liquid crystals, future prospect and development of liquid crystal research and influence on regional industry are discussed.

Linear liquid -crystalline polyurethanes (LCPUs) with mesogenic groups were synthesized by the polyaddition of diols with a mesogenic group and diisocyanides. Polyurethane/metal ion complexes (PMICs) were synthesized by the reaction of new liquid crystal polyurethanes and metal ions. PMICs exhibited liquid -crystalline and thermoplastic properties. Their thermal and orientational properties were examined by polarizing microscopic observation, DSC and the X -ray diffraction measurement. Phase transition point s of PMICs are higher when compared to LCPUs. LCPUs formed a nematic phase, whereas PMICs formed a fluid smectic phase. The smectic layer structures were formed through a microphase segregation.

We have synthesized two kinds of novel 1,2-bis(4'-alkoxybenzoyl)hydrazine (BABH)-based compounds having siloxane moieties at the end of the alkyl tail. The one has disiloxane moieties in each chain and the other has trisiloxane moieties. Their phase behaviors were investigated by DSC, X-ray diffraction, and polarized light optical microscopy. It was found that both compounds exhibit a cubic phase much wider temperature range than that of the original BABH. However, the structures of the cubic phases were different. The disiloxane compound exhibited a cubic phase with Ia3d symmetry and the other exhibited Im3m symmetry.

Ion-conductive liquid crystals have attracted attention as new electrolytes for energy devices because of the formation of ion-conductive pathways which transport ions efficiently in a desired direction. In this study, we focus on carbonate-based ion-conductive liquid crystals. A carbonate-based mesogen has been designed and synthesized. The molecule are complexed with a lithium salt. The mixtures show smectic phases and form 2D ion-conductive pathways. The properties of the mixtures as electrolytes have been examined by electrochemical measurements.

Liquid -crystalline (LC) semiconductors are able to form thin films by solution processes. In situ polymerization of LC semiconductor is effective to produce macroscopically aligned semiconductor films. In this study, we synthesized perylene tetrac arboxylic bisimide (PTCBI) derivatives bearing heptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane mo ieties at terminal positions of the alkyl chains. Then, we produced thin films of this compound s, and exposed them to vapor of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid at 70 C. The thin f ilms were insolubilized through ring -opening polymerization of the cyclotetrasiloxane moieties.

Multi bi-layered film hav ing optical periodicity with different refractive indices has been studied for one dimensional photonic crystals (1DPC) showing photonic band gap (PBG) in which the existence of a certain energy range of photons is forbidden. In this study, we synthesized copolymer consisting of azobenzene and mesogen which has no absorbance i n ultraviolet region, and multi bi-layered film with the copolymer and polyvinyl alchol was prepared on a glass substrate by spin coating. Optical properties of the multi bi-layered film were investigated.

In our previous study, we have designed and prepared stimuli-responsive artificial phospholipid derivatives with an electric field-responsive m esogenic moiety. These phospholipid derivatives show lyotropic liquid crystalline (LC) behavior in water. The LC arraignment is dynamically controlled after applying a direct current potential. The purpose of the present study is to investigate lyotropic liquid-crystalline behavior of photoresponsive artificial phospholipids having a thermotropic liquid-crystalline azobenzene moiety. The photo-induced phase transition behavior has been characterized by synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering.

Nanofiber has characteristics such as high specific surface area and nano size effects. Nanofiber / liquid crystal (LC) composites were prepared by implanting aligned nanofiber obtained from electrospinning method into LC cell. In the composites, we confirmed that LC molecules oriented along the direction of nanofibers. We also confirmed that thicker nanofiber layer in the composite results in faster response time on the removal of control voltage of the LC.

We have developed a new dialkyl Ph-BTBT derivative, i.e., 4-Ph-BTBT-10, which exhibits smectic E phase at a wide temperature range including room temperatures, investigated its carrier transport property by time of flight technique , and fabricated field effect transistors (FETs). The FET show s high mobility of 0.4 cm²/Vs, which is the highest mobility in FETs fabricated with liquid crystalline thin films at room temperature several reported.

Liquid crystalline (LC) semiconductors are suitable for thin film devices produced by solution processes. LC phthalocyanine derivatives form one dimensional columnar aggregates based o n π-π stacking interaction, and they exhibit efficient one -dimensional carrier transport along their columnar axis. However, it has been difficult to produce homogeneous thin films by solution processes because they usually crystallize at room temperature. In this study, we synthesize LC phthalocyanine Ni complexes bearing oligosiloxane chains. The compounds bearing disiloxane and branched trisiloxane chains exhibit columnar phases at room temperature. In spite of the bu lkiness of the oligo siloxane chains, stable columnar phases appear, due to the interaction between oligosiloxane chains. The two compounds are possible to form thin film by the spin-coating.

In the isotropic-cholesteric (Ch) coexistence phase of a cyano-biphenyl LC with a chiral dopant, we found four types of Ch droplets associated with the crossed, striped, rugb y and concentric-circle (CC) textures under polarizing optical microscopy (POM). When a temperature gradient was applied to the sandwiched cell perpendicular to the glass substrates, the droplets except for the one with the crossed texture showed the cons tant unidirectional rotation. We analyzed the rotational behavior in comparison with the helical structure inside the droplets.

Recently, in the system where the droplets formed by the cholesteric liquid crystal are dispersed in the isotropic medium, it has been reported the textures on the droplets rotate when temperature gradi ent is applied to the system. In this study, to clarify the mechanism of the rotational motion, we analyzed the structure of the droplets and the dynamics of the motion using polarized microscopy and flow-field measurements with photo-bleaching method.

We found an extra-ordinary disruption dynamics of smectic bubbles composed of the binary system of polar and non-polar LC molecules. Unlike the typical liquid-like bursting dynamics seen in usual SmA phase, we observed during the disruption polymer-like, network-formations and dramatically increase in the timescale. Although it has been known that such mixtures exhibit higher ordered induced smectic phase, such dynamics were found even in the case of SmA phase. In this report, we discuss the dependence of the characteristics of dynamical properties on temperature, concentration, and film thickness, and propose the physical mechanism in the light of the ‘dynamic asymmetry’.

We have investigated the phase transition behavior by DLS measurement in the hyper-swollen lyotropic nematic (LN) phase, formed by a combination of anionic and cationic surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate; SDS and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide; C12TAB, respectively) at a total surfactant concentration φ 8wt%. The mole fraction  between SDS and C12TAB is varied between 2.3 and 2.7. We have found an interesting type of continuous 2nd order isotropic-nematic (I-N) phase transition for some surfactant ratios, and investigating the driving mechanism. Director fluctuations observed in depolarized (vertical-to-horizo ntal polarization rotation; VH) signal, clearly shows critical slowing down on both sides of the phase transition as shown in Figure. It should be noted that in all samples which show the 2nd order I-N phase transition, the size of micelles is drastically reduced above the phase transition. In addition, all have the same radius of the micelle, almost equivalent to the length of the surfactant molecules, which can be estimated from translational diffusion constant observed in polarized (vertical-to-verti cal polarization rotation; VV) scattering with Einstein-Stokes's law. It is quite reasonable that the micelle shape becomes spherical in the isotropic phase. We concluded that the 2nd order transition is driven by the decrease in the anisotropy of "building blocks" of the nematic, namely the rod to sphere transition of micelles. The birefringence continuously weakens near the 2nd order I-N phase transition due to the decrease in order parameter as well as in the simultaneous decrease in anisotropy of the building blocks. The latter also strongly affects the excluded vol ume interaction between micelles and thus the origin of orientational order. We have found a 2nd order I-N phase transition driven by the shape transformation of the building blocks for the first time.

Recently, we found the novel perforated lamellar -nematic (PLN) phase appears in the system where amphiphilic liquid crystalline molecules BI are dispersed in the nematic solvent. In this study, focusing on the change in the area density of the BI molecules in layers, we designed the theoretical model which explains why the PLN phase becomes stable. Furthermore, measuring the surface tension of the system, we verified the validity of the model.

We identified the appearance of reentrant nematic phase in nCB/8CB (n = 1-6) binary mixtures using DSC, small-angle X-ray diffraction and polarizing microscopy with photomonitor. Phase diagrams can roughly be unified if plotted against the average number of alkyl chain length. Distinction was recognized for the phase boundaries between nematic and smectic A phases of even and odd n of the minor component nCB.

To improve various properties of specialty films, precise control of molecular alignment is important. The existing practical process to align anisotropic molecules is rubbing, while there are some problems; a static generation, contamination of dust. For overcoming these problems, we have found a new principle to induce molecular alignment. When photopolymerization of a mixture of anisotropic monomer, cross-linker and photoinitiator is carried out through a moving photomask, unidirectionally aligned polymer films can be obtained due to monomer diffusion. However, the detailed mechanism remains unexplored. In this study, effects of surface treatment and properties of liquid -crystalline monomers on molecular alignment are discussed. Furthermore, the molecular alignment mechanism is considered.

Toshiba released worlds first 12" and 20" Glasses-Free 3D LCD TV in 2010, and released 55" Glasses-Free 3D LCD TV in 2011. I show the 3D image technologies of the autostereoscopic display technology, multiple-face tracking technology and 2D to 3D image upconversion technology to play the keyrole of Glasses-Free 3D LCD TV. First, I explain the moire supression tecknology by the original pixel arrangement, and the principle of the integral imaging 3D. Next, I show the multiple-face tracking technology which optimizes the 3D view for the multiple audience. At last, I explain the 2D to 3D image upconversion technology which convert conventional 2D images to 3D images. Particularly, I focus on the automatic realtime 2D to 3D image upconversion technology.

Liquid crystals (LCs) have self -organization and by applying alignment treatments on the substrate surfaces, alignment of LCs in bulk can be controlled, and disclinations also can be induced artificially. When microparticles and disclinations are present , the particles are trapped by the disclinations to re duce the total elastic energy of the system. Therefore, by designing the shape of disclinations and trapping particles therein, it should become possible to control the spatial positions of the particles. In our experiment, we use photo-alignment to create disclinations with an arbitrary strength and use them to induce defect lines with various shapes in the bulk.

A blue phase is a promising candidate as a next-generation liquid crystal display material because it exhibits a fast electro-optic effect represented by an optical switching between isotropic and anisotropic states without surface alignment treatment. A 6,6'-fluorobinaphthyl derivative was newly designed and synthesized as a chiral dopant to induce blue phases. A fluorinated nematic liquid crystal doped with the novel chiral dopant showed a lower critical chirality to induce a blue phase and a larger temperature range of blue phases than that doped with a conventional chiral dopant.

In cholesteric blue phases there exist t hree subphases with different symmetries. Because each subphase is composed mainly of the so -called double -twist cylinders, all three su bphases exhibit similar properties, such as circular -polarization sensitive Bragg reflection and effective optical isotropy. However, there are not many studies have been performed to clarify the difference in the optical properties between the subphases. In this study, we focus on the two cubic subphases –BPs I and II– and compare their optical properties through numerical simulation and experiment.

When an external field such as electric and magnetic fields is applied to a liquid-liquid interface, we often encounter the deformation of the interface. In the case that one of the liquids is liquid crystal, the deformation should be associated with the director modulation. Here, we study the modulated structure of the surface of a liquid crystal sample without any external field. Under the strong anchoring conditions, the competition between the interfacial tension and the interior orientational elasticity should determine the periodic modulation of the interface.

Chiral tilted smectic phases show ferro - and antiferroelectricity due to the chiral symmetry breaking. Between ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases, several subphases caused by the competition of ferro- and antiferroelectricity are also observed, and these structures are characterized by the interlayer order of clinicity. In this paper, we will report the results of analysis on the super -structure of chiral tilted smectic phase under the electric field using resonant microbeam x -ray scattering, and discuss the details of structure change by the field -induced phase transition.

We have introduced slippy interfaces on the homeotropic SmC* liquid crystals in IPS cell by the phase separated liquid droplets. Light induced phase separation in the azo dye doped liquid crystal well demonstrated the roles of the slippy interface in comparison with before and after UV illumination. We success to realize the drastic reduction of the driving voltage (<1~2V/μm) keeping the response time is fully fast in comparison with the original material (~20μsec). Using the short pitch SmC* material, almost complete black state can be achieved without large increase of the threshold voltage. Since the polar distribution of C-director can be generated under electric field, we can accelerate the speed of rec overy to the black state (~20μsec) by applying a short negative voltage pulse, nevertheless the slow helix deformation mode (~1msec) is produced by the large electric field, which affect to the degeneration of the response against switch on/off voltage.

The bicontinuous cubic (Cubbi) phase has three-dimensionally periodic structure. 1,2-bis(4'-n-alkoxybenzoyl)hydrazines (BABH-n, n is the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain) are well-known liquid crystalline ones exhibit ing Cubbi phases. Starting from the compounds, we synthesized four homologues having extended π-conjugated system in the central core part (i.e., biphenyl, stilbene, phenylacetylenephenyl, and naphthyl rings). Irrespective of usual high sensitivity to the chemical structure of the phase formation, very surprisingly, all four homologues exhibit the Cubbi phases. In this presentation, we discuss effects of the chemical structure of the core part on the Cubbi phase formation.

We studied the motion of surface-modified colloidal particles in the electro-hydrodynamic convection (EHC) of nematic liquid crystal. We found that single elastic dipoles show an directed undulated motion. For self-assembled colloidal chains, a caterpillar-like motion is observed, which also enables transport of tiny particles immobile in EHC.

We prepared an achir al liquid crystal trimer in wh ich three phenylprimidine units are connected via flexible hexamethylene spacers and investigated t he phase transition behavior using polarized optical microscopy (POM), differentical scanning calorimetry and X -ray diffraction(XRD) . POM observation indicat es that the compound exhibit s liquid －crystalline two phases showing schlieren texture . On the other hand, XRD measurements reve als that the low temperature phase has a SmC －like layer structure. A single peak characteristic to ferroelectric switching appeared in the low temper ature phase.

The origin of the high carrier mobilities of the non-peripheral phthalocyanine was investigated by density functional calculations in its cystal and columnar LC phases.