Merck Celebrates 125 Years of Liquid Crystals

Its pioneering spirit and unwavering dedication to application-oriented R&D have enabled Merck to contribute significantly to the triumphant success of liquid crystals. In September, the company will be marking the 125th anniversary of the discovery of liquid crystals at a scientific forum in Darmstadt, Germany hosted by the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker – GDCh), as well as with its employees.

Used in flat-screen TVs, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones, innovative energy-saving liquid crystals produce sharper images. In flat displays and intuitively operated touchscreens, they enable convenient mobile communication. For more than 40 years, Merck has been driving the development and application of liquid crystals, helping to improve quality of life.

The 125-year anniversary of the discovery of liquid crystals will be marked in early September by a scientific symposium during the meeting of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), which will take place at the Darmstadtium congress center.

There, Bernd Reckmann, Merck Executive Board member with responsibility for the Performance Materials and Merck Millipore divisions, will give a lecture on how innovations lead to tailor-made customer solutions.

One highlight will be Merck’s historical exhibition during the GDCh meeting held in the foyer of the Darmstadtium. The exhibition will feature fascinating display items dating back to the discovery of liquid crystals; also on exhibit will be future-oriented developments that go beyond display applications – such as a smart window, in which liquid crystals are used to modify the light transmission properties of the glass.

From Sept. 9-11, Merck employees will be able to see this exhibition on Merck’s premises. It will be complemented by highlights such as a transparent LC display and a curved one, as well as the world’s largest LCD television (110 inch) and an ultra HD (4K2K) LCD television.

“Liquid crystals from Merck have shaped modern life. The technical curiosity and creative ideas of our researchers and developers, coupled with a pronounced customer focus will ensure that Merck continues to successfully translate its slogan ‘Living Innovation’ in the marketplace,” said Reckmann.

The “seemingly living crystals” discovered in 1888 by Friedrich Reinitzer, professor of botany and technical microscopy, and Otto Lehmann, physicist and expert in physics and isomerism, while extracting substances from carrots were initially dismissed by the scientific community. Although liquid, but otherwise displaying properties only expected of solids, they defied the predominant scientific theories of the time.

By 1904, Merck had already begun selling liquid crystals for scientific studies in order to support their development. It was not until the end of the 1960s that intensive research resumed on cholesteric and nematic liquid crystals for practical applications. In 1968, American electrical engineer George Heilmeier presented the first liquid crystal display, which due to a lack of suitable materials, only operated at temperatures of more than 80°C.

In 1976, following the breakthrough discovery of cyanobiphenyls by George William Gray in the UK, Merck researchers developed even more stable liquid crystals with faster switching times and better optical properties. This marked the start of the rapid development of increasingly powerful display technologies, eventually leading to IPS (in-plane switching), FFS (fringe field switching), VA (vertical alignment), PS-VA (polymer stabilized vertical alignment), and blue phase. Thanks to its high-caliber scientists and strategic alliances, Merck has become the innovation and market leader in liquid crystal technologies. It has won numerous prestigious awards and has a wealth of intellectual property comprising thousands of patents.