Temperature-independent zero-birefringence polymer for liquid crystal displays

A polymer film that shows almost no orientational birefringence even when the polymer main chain is in an oriented state and almost no temperature dependence of orientational birefringence in the temperature range from around -40 to 85 °C was prepared. This temperature range is important because it is where in-car liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are generally used; therefore, it is desirable to have constant orientational birefringence over this range. We suggest a method to compensate for the intrinsic birefringence and temperature coefficient of intrinsic birefringence of individual polymers by copolymerizing monomers of homopolymers that display opposite signs of the two parameters described above. Analysis of four types of polymers, methyl methacrylate (MMA), 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate, benzyl methacrylate (BzMA), and phenyl methacrylate (PhMA), reveal that they possess both positive and negative signs of their temperature coefficient of intrinsic birefringence. Using this approach, we prepare P(MMA/PhMA/BzMA) (39:23:38 wt. %), which exhibits almost no intrinsic birefringence and almost no temperature dependence of intrinsic birefringence. The retardation of this polymer film when drawn uniaxially scarcely changed (between 0.3 and 0.8 nm) between 12 and 70 °C, which is small enough not to cause image degradation in LCDs.