SCIENCE

• WHAT IS E-TINT?
• LIQUID CRYSTALS
• FUNCTIONAL FILMS
• CHEMISTRY

Within the past decade, the liquid crystal scientists at AlphaMicron have fine tuned the first liquid crystal system designed specifically for eyewear applications. e-Tint® technology uses a guest-host mixture consisting of guest dichoric dyes (developed and synthesized by AlphaMicron) in a liquid crystal host. This mixture is sandwiched between two curved flexible plastic substrates coated with transparent electrodes. By applying voltage to the substrates, the electro-optic response of the liquid crystal is used to control the transmissivity and the color of the device. The voltage can be applied manually with a touch of a button or automatically through a sensor, providing instantaneous control over the tint of the eyewear.