Polymer-based systems for advanced optical applications

Displays, in many different variations and for a multitude of uses, continue to be an evermore attractive area for industrial activity and academic development. Here, we address the development of polymer-based systems for application in advanced optical devices. More specifically, we report the fabrication and characterization of photoluminescent polarizers based on uniaxially oriented, conjugated polymers and their application in a new family of photoluminescent liquid-crystal displays with substantially increased brightness, contrast, and efficiency. In another development, we show that efficient 'color polarizers' can be produced on the basis of oriented polymer-inorganic nano-composites. It is anticipated that these polarizers enable the fabrication of another new family of LCDs in which multiple colors can be displayed on the same pixel.