Whether prescription medicines or over-the-counter products, the work of our Healthcare business sector makes a difference to millions of lives around the world. Through our Life Science products, we are dedicated to making research and biotech production simpler, faster and more successful. We continuously work to improve the sustainability footprint of our products. In our Performance Materials business sector, we develop specialty chemicals for particularly demanding applications, such as liquid crystals for energy-efficient displays.
Liquid crystals (LC)
Liquid crystals are a hybrid of a crystalline and liquid state. In general, molecules are perfectly arranged only when in a solid crystal state, in contrast to the liquid state, when they move around chaotically. However, liquid crystals are a hybrid of the two states: Although they are liquid, they exhibit a certain crystalline arrangement. Their rod-shaped molecules align themselves like a shoal of fish. In addition, they respond to the electromagnetic waves of light like tiny antennae. Therefore, such swarms of molecules can either allow specially prepared “polarized” light to pass through, or they can block it. This takes place in the pixels of liquid crystal displays – as it does similarly in liquid crystal windows, which can provide shade against sunlight.