The characteristics of liquid crystal microcapsule ink

Liquid crystal inks are prepared by dispersing liquid crystals, additives and the like enclosed in microcapsules in a binder. The liquid crystal ink does not constitute a color image with a pigment. It is a kind of liquid crystal that causes changes in the alignment molecule direction caused by the temperature of the liquid crystal in the ink layer, thereby selectively reflecting visible light of a specific wavelength and absorbing optical properties of other wavelengths of light. A special ink that exhibits color changes. When the liquid crystal is irradiated with natural light, artificial white light, and color light of a certain wavelength, reflection is strengthened due to the refraction phenomenon, and as the temperature rises, the color from the long wavelength to the color of the short wavelength (i.e., changes in a color of red, green, and cyan).

Now the liquid crystal can reflect -100 ~ 700 °C, the accuracy is 0.50 °C. Since the molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal is not as strong as the crystal structure, it is easily influenced by external stimuli such as an electric field, a magnetic field, a temperature, a stress, and an adsorption impurity to cause various optical properties to change. Liquid crystal inks use this characteristic of liquid crystals.

Source: 21st Century Fine Chemicals Network