Patent ID: 7834973
Filing Date: 2010-11-16
Classification: C09K,G02F

Abstract:
1. A liquid crystal display device comprising: a layer of liquid crystal material between spaced apart cell walls; electrodes provided on at least one cell wall for applying an electric field across at least a part of said liquid crystal material; a surface alignment on an inner surface of at least one of said cell walls which induces a desired local alignment of adjacent molecules of said liquid crystal material; and anisotropic light-absorbing particles dispersed in and substantially aligned with said liquid crystal material, wherein the particles have lengths in the range 10 nm to 10 μm, and wherein the particles comprise a clay; the liquid crystal material being switchable from a first orientation to a second orientation by an applied electric field; wherein reorientation of the liquid crystal material from said first orientation to said second orientation will cause reorientation of said particles from said first orientation to said second orientation; and wherein said particles are capable of absorbing substantially more incident light in one of said orientations than in the other of said orientations.