Lyotropic liquid crystal guest-host material and anisotropic thin films for optical applications

We propose a new approach for the production of thin film optical functional materials. The method is based on molecular design whereby two different types of lyotropic liquid crystals (LC), lyotropic LC based on columnar supramolecules and water-soluble rod-like polymer molecules are mixed. The resulting lyotropic guest-host system allows production of optical retardation films with tunable optical anisotropy controlled by composition of the guest-host system. Coatable retarders can be used in modern liquid crystal displays and TVs for optical compensation and enhancement of the LCD's performance.