Liquid Crystals

JNC manufactures and supplies liquid crystal materials used in liquid crystal displays and related applications.

Advancing Together with the Evolution of Liquid Crystals: From Discovery to Commercialization

The history of liquid crystals dates back to 1888, when the Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer discovered a state of matter that exhibited the properties of crystals while remaining in a liquid state during his studies of cholesterol derivatives. In 1889, the German physicist Otto Lehmann named this state “liquid crystal.”
Since the introduction of the first liquid crystal display in 1968, liquid crystal technology has been commercialized in calculators and watches and has since expanded rapidly into large-screen televisions and smartphones, particularly after 2000.
JNC has been engaged in the development of liquid crystal materials since the early days of the liquid crystal industry and has designed and developed a wide range of liquid crystal materials compatible with various driving modes and applications.

Tailoring Material Properties to Achieve Desired Panel Performance

These driving modes include vertical electric field modes such as TN, STN, VA, and PSA, as well as in-plane electric field modes such as IPS and FFS.
Although the required properties vary depending on the application, JNC offers both normally white and normally black liquid crystal materials, as well as fluorinated and cyano-based liquid crystal materials. By precisely controlling fundamental material properties such as viscosity, elastic constants, dielectric anisotropy, refractive index anisotropy, and phase transition temperature, JNC provides liquid crystal materials that deliver the panel performance required for each application, including fast response time, high contrast, high reliability, high voltage holding ratio (VHR), and excellent light resistance.

Beyond Displays: Expanding into Advanced Optical Devices

Historically, liquid crystal materials have been primarily used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for televisions, mobile phones, smartphones, and IT products such as monitors, notebook PCs, and tablets.
In recent years, their applications have expanded further into LCDs for virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) and automotive displays, requiring even faster response times, lower power consumption, higher resolution, and wider viewing angles.
Furthermore, liquid crystal materials are increasingly being developed for optical devices beyond displays, including smart dimming films and glass, liquid crystal antennas, liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), and augmented reality (AR) glasses.
For smart dimming panel applications, JNC has commercialized polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) materials featuring high reliability, high contrast ratios, and excellent haze characteristics.

Enabling Next-Generation Optical Technologies

In addition to display applications, JNC continues to advance the development of innovative liquid crystal materials for next-generation optical and sensing devices, contributing to the realization of new technologies and enhanced user experiences across a wide range of industries.

• Learn More