We report the first fabrication of pigment particle-based electrowetting display (EWD) by using the requisite poly(isobutylene)-imide (PIB-imide) for effectively dispersing insoluble colorant in decane/water system. The series of PIB-imide dispersants were prepared from the amidation/imidation of PIB-succinic anhydride with different hydrophobic lengths and a suitable amine. The structurally tailored dispersants by adopting the highly hydrophobic PIB tails allows the formation of homogeneous dispersion of nanosized pigment particles in decane and clearly separated from water. The pigment dispersion at particle size of ca. 100 nm and a low viscosity of 2-3 cps was obtained and fabricated into an EWD device which was operated at a driving voltage of 15-20 V in achieving a maximum aperture ratio of 80%. With the advantage of both fast response time and vivid color, the pigment-based EWD, as shown in the video, stands out as a promising new option for future transparent display and serves as a critical foundation for the next-generation advanced display applications.
We have designed a class of highly hydrophobic dispersants for finely dispersing carbon black and organic pigment nanoparticles in apolar mediums. The synthesis involved the use of polyisobutylene-g-succinic anhydride (PIB-SA) and judiciously selected amines by amidation and imidation. The structures were characterized by infrared spectroscopy for anhydride functionalities in the starting materials and amide/imide linkages in the products. These polymeric forms of dispersants were structurally varied with respects to their PIB molecular weight, twin-tails, and linkages. Their relative performance for dispersing six different pigments in decane was evaluated against solution homogeneity, viscosity, stability, and particle size. The fine dispersion was achieved at particle sizes of ca. 100 nm, with the viscosity as low as 2-3 cP. The measurement of zeta potentials, which varied from -39.8 to -5.1 mV with pigment addition, revealed a strong surface-charge interaction between pigment and PIB dispersant molecules. Examination by TEM (transmission electronic microscope) showed the homogeneous dispersion of the primary structures of pigment particles at ca. 20 nm in diameter. The polymeric dispersants with different PIB tails and imide functionalities could be tailored for pigment stability in the oil phase, which is potentially suitable for the electrowetting devices.
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