43 results about "Molecular alignment" patented technology

A low profile resorbable stent comprising an oriented, resorbable material, wherein said material has Young's Modulus and tensile strength in the oriented state greater than Young's modulus and tensile strength of unoriented material is disclosed. The low profile resorbable stent has a resorbable material with Young's modulus about 2-300 GPa and / or tensile strength 50-200 MPa. The resorbable material of the present invention is oriented such that the tensile strength and modulus are higher than the unoriented materials allowing for the low profile stent design. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a low profile resorbable stent. The method comprises providing an extrudate comprising a resorbable material, inducing molecular alignment in the extrudate to form an oriented extrudate and forming the stent from the oriented extrudate. The extrudate of resorbable material can be a sheet, tube or some other form. The sheet extrudate is stretched axially or biaxially to induce molecular alignment. The tubular extrudate is blow-molded to induce molecular alignment.

The methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein concern ordered arrays of carbon nanotubes. In particular embodiments of the invention, the nanotube arrays are formed by a method comprising attaching catalyst nanoparticles 140, 230 to polymer 120, 210 molecules, attaching the polymer 120, 210 molecules to a substrate, removing the polymer 120, 210 molecules and producing carbon nanotubes on the catalyst nanoparticles 140, 230. The polymer 120, 210 molecules can be attached to the substrate in ordered patterns, using self-assembly or molecular alignment techniques. The nanotube arrays can be attached to selected areas 110, 310 of the substrate. Within the selected areas 110, 310, the nanotubes are distributed non-randomly. Other embodiments disclosed herein concern apparatus that include ordered arrays of nanotubes attached to a substrate and systems that include ordered arrays of carbon nanotubes attached to a substrate, produced by the claimed methods. In certain embodiments, provided herein are methods for aligning a molecular wire, by ligating the molecular wire to a double stranded DNA molecule.

A liquid crystal device, comprising, at least a pair of substrates; and a liquid crystal material composition disposed between the pair of substrates. The liquid crystal material composition comprises, at least, a Smectic phase liquid crystal material, and a molecular alignment-enhancing agent. The Smectic phase liquid crystal material has a molecular long axis or n-director having a tilt angle to its layer normal as a bulk material, and the molecular long axis of the Smectic phase liquid crystal material aligns parallel to the pre-setting alignment direction, resulting in its long axis layer normal. The molecular alignment-enhancing agent has a molecular axis or n-director having no tilt angle to its layer normal as a bulk material, and the molecular alignment-enhancing agent has a double bond structure in its molecule.

A novel liquid crystalline charge transport material is provided which simultaneously has advantages of an amorphous material, that is, evenness in a large area, and advantages of a crystalline material having molecular alignment, is excellent in high-quality charge transport capability, film forming properties, various types of durability and the like, and permits the alignment to be regulated by external stimulation. The liquid crystalline charge transport material has smectic liquid crystallinity and an electron mobility of not less than 1x10-5 cm2 / v.s.

An anisotropic dye film having high dichromatic properties is provided. An anisotropic dye film wherein the period d attributable to molecular stacking is at most 3.445 AA, and the column length L thereof is at least 105 AA. The anisotropic dye film preferably has a degree of orientation of the molecular stacking axes of at least 85% and a film thickness of at most 30 m, and is formed by a wet film-forming method. Since it has a molecular alignment suitable to develop a dichroic ratio, it provides high dichromatic properties. A polarizing element having this anisotropic dye film is excellent in heat resistance, light fastness and polarizing performance.

A process for producing a continuous graphitic fiber, comprising: (a) preparing a graphene oxide gel having living graphene oxide molecules or functionalized graphene chains dissolved in a fluid medium; (b) depositing at least a continuous filament of graphene oxide gel onto a supporting substrate under a condition of stress-induced molecular alignment of living graphene oxide molecules along a filament axis direction; (c) removing the fluid medium to form a continuous graphene oxide fiber, having an inter-plane spacing d002 of 0.4 nm to 1.2 nm and an oxygen content no less than 5% by weight; and (d) heat treating the continuous graphene oxide fiber to form the continuous graphitic fiber at a temperature higher than 100° C. (preferably >600° C.) to an extent that an inter-plane spacing d002 is decreased to a value of 0.3354-0.4 nm and the oxygen content is decreased to less than 5% by weight.

An anisotropic dye film having high dichromatic properties is provided. An anisotropic dye film wherein the period d attributable to molecular stacking is at most 3.445 Å, and the column length L thereof is at least 105 Å. The anisotropic dye film preferably has a degree of orientation of the molecular stacking axes of at least 85% and a film thickness of at most 30 μm, and is formed by a wet film-forming method. Since it has a molecular alignment suitable to develop a dichroic ratio, it provides high dichromatic properties. A polarizing element having this anisotropic dye film is excellent in heat resistance, light fastness and polarizing performance.

The methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein concern ordered arrays of carbon nanotubes. In particular embodiments of the invention, the nanotube arrays are formed by a method comprising attaching catalyst nanoparticles 140, 230 to polymer 120, 210 molecules, attaching the polymer 120, 210 molecules to a substrate, removing the polymer 120, 210 molecules and producing carbon nanotubes on the catalyst nanoparticles 140, 230. The polymer 120, 210 molecules can be attached to the substrate in ordered patterns, using self-assembly or molecular alignment techniques. The nanotube arrays can be attached to selected areas 110, 310 of the substrate. Within the selected areas 110, 310, the nanotubes are distributed non-randomly. Other embodiments disclosed herein concern apparatus that include ordered arrays of nanotubes attached to a substrate and systems that include ordered arrays of carbon nanotubes attached to a substrate, produced by the claimed methods. In certain embodiments, provided herein are methods for aligning a molecular wire, by ligating the molecular wire to a double stranded DNA molecule.

There has been a need for an overcoat film composition that functions as an overcoat film in terms of high transparency and flatness, and that also functions as an aligning film in terms of liquid crystal molecular alignment. There has also been a need to lower the cost of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element. There is provided an overcoat film composition comprising one or more compounds selected from the group of polyester-polyamic acids (A1) obtained using at least a polyhydric hydroxy compound (a1), a diamine (a2), and a compound having two or more acid anhydride groups (a3), and polyester-polyimides (A2) that are imidization products thereof, and a polyamic acid (B).

The invention discloses vacuum drying equipment and a preparation method of a display panel. The vacuum drying equipment comprises a vacuum cavity, a thermostat, an electric field generation device and a vacuum pump. The thermostat is located below the vacuum cavity. The electric field generation device is provided with a first metal plate and a second metal plate which are arranged in the vacuumcavity. The first metal plate is located on the bottom surface of the vacuum cavity. The second metal plate is arranged over the first metal plate in parallel. The second metal plate divides the vacuum cavity into a first sub-cavity located between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and a second sub-cavity located on the other side of the second metal plate. The second metal plate isprovided with a plurality of volatilization through holes communicating with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity. The first metal plate and the second metal plate are used for being connected with a circuit. The vacuum pump communicates with the second sub-cavity. The vacuum drying equipment can achieve effective control over molecular alignment, so that the migration rate of an organic thin film is increased to the maximum extent.

There is provided a polymerizable liquid crystal composition that enables a film formed through application of the composition and exposure thereof to heat or active energy rays to have an excellent molecular alignment and reduced haze. There is also provided an optically anisotropic body that is produced by using such a polymerizable liquid crystal composition and that has a good transparency. In particular, the present invention provides a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable haze-reducing agent and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound. Furthermore, the present invention also provides an optically anisotropic body produced by using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition of the present invention. Using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition of the present invention enables production of an optically anisotropic body having a good transparency; hence, the polymerizable liquid crystal composition is usefully applied to optical materials used in, for example, retardation films.

A liquid crystal device, comprising, at least, a pair of polarizing elements being disposed so that the transmission axes thereof are perpendicular to each other; a liquid crystal element disposed between the pair of polarizing elements; and voltage applying means for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal element. The liquid crystal element is such that it enables high-speed optical response, and the optical axis azimuth thereof is rotatable in response to the strength and / or direction of an electric field to be applied thereto. The voltage applying means is capable of controlling a voltage to be applied from the voltage applying means to the liquid crystal element, in response to the liquid crystal molecular alignment in the liquid crystal material. There is provided a liquid crystal device having a temperature-compensating function so as to achieve a good light-dark ratio.

A reflection electrode has an undulated shape and whose normal direction is distributed unevenly to a specific azimuth angle and whose reflection light intensity depends on said azimuth angle. Openings are formed in that area of the reflection electrode which has a tilt angle of 0 degree to 2 degrees and / or a tilt angle of 10 degrees or higher. The retardation of a liquid crystal layer is changed by making the liquid crystal molecular alignment mode different between the openings and the reflection electrode, so that the intensity of output light is increased in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode. The balance of colors displayed in transmission mode is determined by determining the area of the openings in pixels of each color, and the color temperature is set higher in transmission mode than in reflection mode. This provides a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display which has an excellent visibility in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode.

A process for producing a continuous graphitic fiber, comprising: (a) preparing a graphene oxide gel having living graphene oxide molecules or functionalized graphene chains dissolved in a fluid medium; (b) depositing at least a continuous filament of graphene oxide gel onto a supporting substrate under a condition of stress-induced molecular alignment of living graphene oxide molecules along a filament axis direction; (c) removing the fluid medium to form a continuous graphene oxide fiber, having an inter-plane spacing d002 of 0.4 nm to 1.2 nm and an oxygen content no less than 5% by weight; and (d) heat treating the continuous graphene oxide fiber to form the continuous graphitic fiber at a temperature higher than 100° C. (preferably >600° C.) to an extent that an inter-plane spacing d002 is decreased to a value of 0.3354-0.4 nm and the oxygen content is decreased to less than 5% by weight.

An efficient technique for producing deterministically polarized single photons uses liquid-crystal hosts of either monomeric or oligomeric / polymeric form to preferentially align the single emitters for maximum excitation efficiency. Deterministic molecular alignment also provides deterministically polarized output photons; using planar-aligned cholesteric liquid crystal hosts as 1-D photonic-band-gap microcavities tunable to the emitter fluorescence band to increase source efficiency, using liquid crystal technology to prevent emitter bleaching. Emitters comprise soluble dyes, inorganic nanocrystals or trivalent rare-earth chelates.

An active liquid crystal diffraction element includes: a first transparent substrate; a second transparent substrate; a liquid crystal layer; a first electrode; a second electrode; a control member; and an alignment member, wherein the second electrode includes a plurality of small electrodes; the control member controls a magnitude of an electric voltage applied to each of the plurality of small electrodes; the alignment member confers a liquid crystal molecular alignment without any pre-tilt to the liquid crystal layer; and the liquid crystal molecular alignment is parallel to the surface of the first transparent substrate.

There has been a need for an overcoat film composition that functions as an overcoat film in terms of high transparency and flatness, and that also functions as an aligning film in terms of liquid crystal molecular alignment. There has also been a need to lower the cost of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element. There is provided an overcoat film composition comprising one or more compounds selected from the group of polyester-polyamic acids (A1) obtained using at least a polyhydric hydroxy compound (a1), a diamine (a2), and a compound having two or more acid anhydride groups (a3), and polyester-polyimides (A2) that are imidization products thereof, and a polyamic acid (B).

A liquid crystal device, comprising, at least, a pair of polarizing elements being disposed so that the transmission axes thereof are perpendicular to each other; a liquid crystal element disposed between the pair of polarizing elements; and voltage applying means for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal element. The liquid crystal element is such that it enables high-speed optical response, and the optical axis azimuth thereof is rotatable in response to the strength and / or direction of an electric field to be applied thereto. The voltage applying means is capable of controlling a voltage to be applied from the voltage applying means to the liquid crystal element, in response to the liquid crystal molecular alignment in the liquid crystal material. There is provided a liquid crystal device having a temperature-compensating function so as to achieve a good light-dark ratio.

A reflection electrode has an undulated shape and whose normal direction is distributed unevenly to a specific azimuth angle and whose reflection light intensity depends on said azimuth angle. Openings are formed in that area of the reflection electrode which has a tilt angle of 0 degree to 2 degrees and / or a tilt angle of 10 degrees or higher. The retardation of a liquid crystal layer is changed by making the liquid crystal molecular alignment mode different between the openings and the reflection electrode, so that the intensity of output light is increased in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode. The balance of colors displayed in transmission mode is determined by determining the area of the openings in pixels of each color, and the color temperature is set higher in transmission mode than in reflection mode. This provides a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display which has an excellent visibility in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode.

A liquid crystal display includes first and second substrates placed opposite each other, a common electrode on one side of the first substrate to substantially cover a whole surface, a segment electrode on one side of the second substrate, a routing wire on one side of the second substrate and connected to the segment electrode, a liquid-crystalline resin film without electrical conductivity on one side of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal film between the substrates. The liquid-crystalline resin film has refractive index anisotropy being substantially equal to that of a liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal film, has molecular alignment being substantially equal to that of the liquid crystal film, and is disposed to fill a space between the routing wire and the common electrode. The liquid crystal film is disposed to fill a space between the segment electrode and the common electrode.

The methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein concern ordered arrays of carbon nanotubes. In particular embodiments of the invention, the nanotube arrays are formed by a method comprising attaching catalyst nanoparticles 140, 230 to polymer 120, 210 molecules, attaching the polymer 120, 210 molecules to a substrate, removing the polymer 120, 210 molecules and producing carbon nanotubes on the catalyst nanoparticles 140, 230. The polymer 120, 210 molecules can be attached to the substrate in ordered patterns, using self-assembly or molecular alignment techniques. The nanotube arrays can be attached to selected areas 110, 310 of the substrate. Within the selected areas 110, 310, the nanotubes are distributed non-randomly. Other embodiments disclosed herein concern apparatus that include ordered arrays of nanotubes attached to a substrate and systems that include ordered arrays of carbon nanotubes attached to a substrate, produced by the claimed methods. In certain embodiments, provided herein are methods for aligning a molecular wire, by ligating the molecular wire to a double stranded DNA molecule.

A low profile resorbable stent comprising an oriented, resorbable material, wherein said material has Young's Modulus and tensile strength in the oriented state greater than Young's modulus and tensile strength of unoriented material is disclosed. The low profile resorbable stent has a resorbable material with Young's modulus about 2-300 GPa and / or tensile strength 50-200 MPa. The resorbable material of the present invention is oriented such that the tensile strength and modulus are higher than the unoriented materials allowing for the low profile stent design. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a low profile resorbable stent. The method comprises providing an extrudate comprising a resorbable material, inducing molecular alignment in the extrudate to form an oriented extrudate and forming the stent from the oriented extrudate. The extrudate of resorbable material can be a sheet, tube or some other form. The sheet extrudate is stretched axially or biaxially to induce molecular alignment. The tubular extrudate is blow-molded to induce molecular alignment.

An organic single-crystalline film useful as a functional film in various devices is produced by selecting a liquid crystal material having a good molecular alignment regularity, disposing the liquid crystal material between a pair of boundaries exerting a thickness regulating force and solidifying the liquid crystal material while imparting a molecular alignment order by phase transition from a liquid crystal phase. The liquid crystal material may preferably be a smectic liquid crystal material which provides a uniform molecular alignment inclusive of the direction of the molecular long axis in a smectic phase.

An organic single-crystalline film usable as a functional film in various devices is produced by selecting a liquid crystal material having a good molecular alignment regularity, disposing the liquid crystal material between a pair of boundaries exerting a thickness regulating force and solidifying the liquid crystal material while imparting a molecular alignment order by phase transition from a liquid crystal phase. The liquid crystal material may preferably be a smectic liquid crystal material which provides a uniform molecular alignment inclusive of the direction of molecular long axis in a smectic phase.