Bistable liquid crystal devices with nanoparticle-coated polyimide alignment films

Abstract

Bistable hybrid-aligned nematic (HAN) liquid crystal devices (LCDs) with silica nanoparticle-coated polyimide alignment films were investigated. It was observed that the existence of the internal electric field produced from the triboelectrically charged silica nanoparticles layer and impurity ions in the LC reduced the total free energy of the HAN-LCD and stabilized the cell in the homeotropic state. The stable homeotropic state can be switched back to the HAN state by changing the ion distribution through a voltage pulse with proper polarity. The capability of controlling bistability through modification of ion density in the LC layer may have some applications, such as displaying a one-time password requiring a specific stable time. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America