Polymer-doped vertically-aligned nematic liquid crystals

1. A nematic liquid crystal composition, comprising:

a negative delta epsilon liquid crystal host; and between 0.01 and 5 wt % of a liquid crystal polymer wherein the liquid crystal polymer has the structure (FX1):

wherein PX is a polymer backbone having the formula:

where n is an integer from 50 to 10,000;

W is a straight-chain or branched hydrocarbon group spacer having between 1 to 40 carbon atoms, wherein one or more adjacent or nonadjacent —CH 2 — groups in the hydrocarbon group can be independently replaced with —S—, —S(═O)—, —O—, —C(═O)—, —O—C(═O)—, —(Si—R 40 R 41 )—, —[OSiR 40 R 41 ] d —, —[Si(R 40 R 41 )O] d —, —[Si(R 40 R 41 )—(OSiR 40 R 41 ) d ]—, —OSiR 40 R 41 O—, —CF 2 —, and —GeR 40 R 41 —, where R 40 and R 41 are each independently a hydrogen or a C1-C5 straight chain or branched alkyl group wherein any hydrogen may be replaced with fluorine, and wherein d is independently an integer from 1 to 6; and

M is a mesogen.

2. A nematic liquid crystal composition, comprising:

a negative delta epsilon liquid crystal host; and between 0.01 and 5 wt % of a liquid crystal polymer, wherein the liquid crystal polymer has the structure (Polymer 5), (Polymer 6), or (Polymer 7):

3. An optical device comprising:

two opposing electrode surfaces; and

a nematic liquid crystal composition disposed therebetween;

wherein said nematic liquid crystal composition comprises:

a negative delta epsilon nematic liquid crystal host; and between 0.01 and 5 wt of a liquid crystal polymer, wherein the liquid crystal polymer has the structure (FX11):

wherein PX is a polymer backbone; W is a thiol or siloxy-containing spacer; M is a mesogen, EG is a polystyrene end group, and each i is independently 0 or 1.

4. The optical device of claim 3 , wherein each i is 0.

5. The optical device of claim 3 , wherein one i is 1 and one i is 0.

6. A nematic liquid crystal composition, comprising:

a negative delta epsilon liquid crystal host; and between 0.01 and 5 wt % of a liquid crystal polymer wherein the liquid crystal polymer has the structure (FX1):

wherein PX is a polymer backbone having the formula:

where n is an integer from 50 to 10,000 or the polymer backbone having the formula resulting from thiol-ene coupling of W-M to 1,2-polybutadiene;

W is —(CR 15 R 16 ) y —, where y is an integer from 1 to 40; wherein R 15 and R 16 are each independently hydrogen or halogen;

wherein any adjacent or nonadjacent —(CR 15 R 16 )— group can be independently replaced with

—S—, —S(═O)—, —O—, —C(═O)—, —O—C(═O)—, —(Si—R 40 R 41 )—, —[OSiR 40 R 41 ] d —, —[Si(R 40 R 41 )O] d —, —[Si(R 40 R 41 )—[OSiR 40 R 41 ] d ]—, —OSiR 40 R 41 O—, and —CF 2 —,

where R 40 and R 41 are each independently a C1-C5 straight chain or branched alkyl group wherein any hydrogen can be replaced with fluorine, and wherein d is independently an integer from 1 to 6; and

M is

wherein b and e are independently 0 or 1; bb is an integer from 0 to 10; aa is an integer from 0 to 10; and each A, R 1 and R 2 is independently a cycloalkane ring having from 3 to 8 carbons, a cycloalkene ring having from 3 to 8 carbons, an aromatic ring, or a fused two or three ring structure; where there may be from 1 to 6 cycloalkane rings and from 0 to 5 aromatic rings in M;

each L is independently selected from a direct bond, —O—, —O—C(═O)—, —C(═O)—O—, —C═C—, —C≡C—, —(CH 2 ) u —; where u is an integer from 1 to 10;

wherein one or more ring carbon atoms in one or more of A, R 1 and R 2 may be replaced with —N—, —S—, and —O—;

one or more hydrogens on any of A, R 1 and R 2 can be independently replaced with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, —CF 3 , —OCF 3 , —OCF 2 H and —OCFH 2 ; and

wherein each T is a terminating group independently selected from hydrogen, —CN, or a one- to fifteen-carbon alkyl, alkoxy or alkenyl chain wherein one or more hydrogen atoms may be independently replaced with fluorine and one or more —CH 2 — groups may be independently replaced with —O— or —O(C═O)—.