Electrically Controlled Liquid Crystal Microlens Array Based on Single-Crystal Graphene Coupling Alignment for Plenoptic Imaging

As a unique electric-optics material, liquid crystals (LCs) have been used in various light-control applications. In LC-based light-control devices, the structural alignment of LC molecules is of great significance. Generally, additional alignment layers are required for LC lens and microlens, such as rubbed polyimide (PI) layers or photoalignment layers. In this paper, an electrically controlled liquid crystal microlens array (EC-LCMLA) based on single-crystal graphene (SCG) coupling alignment is proposed. A monolayer SCG with high conductivity and initial anchoring of LC molecules was used as a functional electrode, thus no additional alignment layer is needed, which effectively simplifies the basic structure and process flow of conventional LCMLA. Experiments indicated that a uniform LC alignment can be acquired in the EC-LCMLA cell by the SCG coupling alignment effect. The common optical properties including focal lengths and point spread function (PSF) were measured experimentally. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed EC-LCMLA has good focusing performance in the visible to near-infrared range. Moreover, the plenoptic imaging in Galilean mode was achieved by integrating the proposed EC-LCMLA with photodetectors. Digital refocusing was performed to obtain a rendering image of the target.

Mesogen-co-polymerized transparent polyimide as a liquid-crystal alignment layer with enhanced anchoring energy

Enhancing the azimuthal anchoring energy of the aligning film is a key requirement to improve the quality of liquid-crystal displays. Based on the assumption of mesogenic side groups being able to align liquid-crystal (LC) molecules, we have designed a novel transparent polyimide bearing cyanobiphenyl mesogenic side chains, which has a similar structure to that of liquid crystal 5CB. A pyrimidyl diamine monomer with a cyanobiphenyl mesogenic unit was first synthesized, and then co-polymerized with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether and 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride. The obtained polyimide (PI) exhibited good thermal stability and mechanical properties, as well as high optical transparency with transmittance of up to 86% in the wavelength range 450–700 nm. By evaluating the adhesion force between PI films and LCs with a super-sensitive microelectro-mechanical balance system, we have verified that appending mesogenic groups on the side chains of PI strengthens intermolecular interactions between the LC and PI surfaces, thereby enhancing the surface anchoring energy. Compared with the unmodified PI, the anchoring energy of the derivatized PI was improved more than 2.2-fold. By virtue of its good transparency and strong anchoring energy, this PI would seem to be an ideal candidate as a LC alignment film, and the concept of mesogens aligning LCs may open a new door in the design of LC alignment films.

This work shows the key role played by the mesogens side groups of polyimides in enhancing the azimuthal anchoring energy.

Synthesis and Characterization of Organosoluble, Thermal Stable and Hydrophobic Polyimides Derived from 4-(4-(1-pyrrolidinyl)phenyl)-2,6-bis(4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl)pyridine

A novel aromatic diamine monomer, 4-(4-(1-pyrrolidinyl)phenyl)-2,6-bis(4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl)pyridine (PPAPP) containing pyridine rings, pyrrolidine groups, and ether linkages, was successfully synthesized using 4-hydroxyacetophenone and 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene as starting materials by three-step reactions, and then used to synthesize a series of polyimides by polycondensation with various aromatic dianhydrides via a two-step method. The structure of PPAPP was characterized by NMR, FT-IR, and mass spectrometry analysis methods. These polymers showed good solubility in common organic solvents (e.g., NMP, DMF, DMSO, and DMAc) at room temperature or on heating. Moreover, they presented a high thermal stability with the glass transition temperature (Tgs) exceeding 316 °C, as well as the temperature of 10% weight loss ranged from 552⁻580 °C with more than 67% residue at 800 °C under nitrogen. Furthermore, they also exhibited excellent hydrophobicity with a contact angle in the range of 85.6°⁻97.7°, and the results of Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) indicated that all of the polymers revealed an amorphous structure.

Chitosan and imide-functional Fe3O4 nanoparticles to prepare new xanthene based poly(ether-imide) nanocomposites

In this work a new series of multifunctional nanocomposites were synthesized based on a soluble poly(ether-imide).

Study of thermal decomposition kinetics for polyimides based on 2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)-4-(4-(4-aminophenoxy) phenyl) pyridine

This study reports on the preparation and thermal decomposition kinetics of a polyimide (PI) with phthalimide pendant (PI-1) and an analogous hyperbranched PI (PI-2). PI-1 was synthesized from 2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)-4-(4-(4-aminophenoxy) phenyl) pyridine (BAAP) and 4,4′-(hexa-fluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride using a simple method with BAAP terminated by phthalic anhydride. The morphology of the PI structures was examined using X-ray diffraction. The thermal decomposition processes of the PIs were then studied according to a two-stage method using thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicated that both PIs exhibited excellent thermal stability, with a decomposition pattern of 5% mass loss beyond 508°C and 10% beyond 529°C. The two PIs exhibited similar levels of thermal stability in the first decomposition stage, but PI-1 exhibited higher stability in the second stage. The results indicate that PIs into which phthalimide pendants have been introduced retain their thermal stability in the first stage of decomposition and demonstrate enhanced thermal stability in the second stage.

Effect of the functional diamine structure on the properties of a polyimide liquid crystal alignment film

A novel functional diamine containing triphenylamine moiety and biphenyl as well as a long alkyl chain, 4-dodecyloxy-biphenyl-4′,4′′-diaminotriphenylamine (DBDTA), was synthesized and characterized.

Synthesis of a novel polyimide used as liquid crystal vertical alignment layers

A novel functional diamine containing a triphenylamine moiety and a biphenyl group, N,N-bis(4-aminophenyl)-4-(biphenyl)-4′-aminophenyl ether (N0), was successfully synthesized and characterized.