PFI: Partnership for Innovation on Liquid-Crystal Polymer Interfaces

这个来自肯特州立大学的创新合作项目，与两家知识增强合作伙伴公司和其他五家学术，工业和非营利合作伙伴合作，将建立一个广泛的液晶（LC）-聚合物界面平台。 液晶-聚合物界面在液晶显示器（LCD）工业中自诞生以来就具有至关重要的作用。 最近出现的柔性液晶显示器使用塑料基板是产生新的和迫切的兴趣，界面设计和相关的行为。 从玻璃到柔软的柔性基板的转变不仅提出了新的技术问题，也照亮了旧的问题。 这些问题和基础科学的问题是非常接近的，是密不可分的;该项目的目标是连接设备和制造问题在工业领域的前沿学术研究。 该项目旨在确定合作伙伴公司真实的产品中的技术问题，并提供基于最先进表征、计算材料科学和新型材料开发的解决方案。拟议的平台不仅将解决当前新兴技术的关键问题，还将实现新的LC-on-plastic（LCOP）技术，从而为美国工业提供新的机会，并有可能在LCOP产品的基础上实现强劲的经济发展。 这项研究的更广泛影响是为美国显示器和相关行业带来潜在的大规模经济机会。 如今，一个引人注目的技术变革是液晶显示器从玻璃基板转向塑料基板。这一变化为美国工业再次确立领导地位、发展新兴LCOP技术并从中受益提供了巨大的机会。该合作伙伴关系将通过LC聚合物社区的网络传播项目成果，并为未来解决实际问题的产学合作提供模式。 如果当前的挑战得到克服，美国将有机会利用、开发和培育这一新兴技术，并带来巨大的技术和经济前景。 该项目开始时的合作伙伴包括知识增强合作伙伴关系（KEP）单位，由肯特州立大学（液晶研究所）和两家小企业组成：AlphaMicron（AMI）（肯特，OH）和肯特显示器（KDI）（肯特，OH），这两家公司都是负责突破性演示LCOP技术可能性的先驱。此外，还有其他合作伙伴。 这些伙伴包括其他学术机构：阿克伦大学和俄克拉荷马州大学;私营部门组织（非营利）：普利司通美洲研究技术中心;以及公共部门组织：Nortech/FlexMatters和Polymer俄亥俄州公司。

This Partnerships for Innovation project from Kent State University, which is partnering with two knowledge-enhancement partner companies and five other academic, industrial and non-profit partners, will establish a broad platform on liquid crystal (LC) - polymer interfaces. LC - polymer interfaces have been of vital importance in the liquid crystal display (LCD) industry since its inception. The recent advent of flexible LCDs using plastic substrates is generating renewed and urgent interest in interface design and associated behavior. The move from glass to soft flexible substrates not only raises new technical problems, but also illuminates old ones. These problems and questions of basic science are exceptionally close and are inextricably linked; the goal of the project is to connect device and manufacturing issues in industry to the frontiers of academic research. The project aims to identify the technical issues in real products of the partner companies and to offer solutions based on the state-of-the-art characterization, computational materials science, and novel materials development. The proposed platform will not only solve key problems in currently emerging technologies, but it will also enable new LC-on-plastic (LCOP) technologies and thereby provide to U.S. industry new opportunities with the potential for strong economic development based on LCOP products. The broader impacts of this research are potentially large-scale economic opportunities for U.S. display and related industries. A dramatic technological change today is the move of LCDs from glass to plastic substrates. This change represents a tremendous opportunity for U.S. industry to again establish a leadership position and develop and benefit from the emerging LCOP technology. The partnership will disseminate project results through networks in the LC-polymer community and provide a model for future industry-university collaboration in practical problem solving. If the current challenges are overcome, the U.S. will have the opportunity to harness, develop, and cultivate this emerging new technology, with vast technological and economic promise. Partners at the inception of the project include the Knowledge-Enhancement Partnership (KEP) unit, consisting of Kent State University (Liquid Crystal Institute) and two small businesses: AlphaMicron (AMI) (Kent, OH), and Kent Displays (KDI) (Kent, OH), both of which are the pioneers responsible for the breakthrough demonstrations that LCOP technology is possible. In addition, there are other partners. These partners include other academic institutions: University of Akron and University of Oklahoma; a private sector organization (non-profit): Bridgestone Americas Center for Research Technology; and public sector organizations: Nortech/FlexMatters and Polymer Ohio Inc.