Car LCDs that work in extreme cold, heat in the offing

Scientists have developed new liquid crystal mixtures that may help keep the LCD displays in your car working, whether you are driving in the frigid depths of winter or under the broiling desert sun.
In automobiles, liquid crystal displays (LCD) are used to show speed, distance, fuel consumption and other information, as well as in GPS mapping, rearview cameras and audio systems.
However, current technology has a weakness. The displays grow blurry and sluggish in extreme temperatures.
"Liquid crystals exist only in a certain temperature range. In order to work in extreme environments, we need to widen that temperature range," said researcher Shin-Tson Wu of the University of Central Florida in US.

Researchers formulated several new liquid crystal mixtures that do not have the temperature limitations of those now in use.
The liquid crystals should maintain their speed and viscosity in temperatures as high as 100 degrees Celsius and as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.

In addition, the pixels are able to change their brightness level about 20 times faster than required by European automotive standards.
The breakthrough has applications in the automotive industry and with any other manufacturer of devices with LCD screens.
The study was published in the journal Optical Materials Express.