October 11, 2011 — Taiwan’s R&D-focused ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) developed an environmentally friendly polarizer protective film, HyTAC, for consumer-sector LCD displays.
The materials and production process cut down on pollutants and environmental harm by 50%, ITRI reports. This also makes LCD manufacturing safer for human operators. HyTAC eliminates dichlormethane and methanol from TAC film production.
LCD transparency and stability are improved with HyTAC, and production costs are lower. The organic and inorganic silicon dioxide nano hybrid material replaces toxic production solvents. Avoiding diclormethane reduces the production equipment required, especially exhaust recycling installations. The result is a highly transparent polarizer film with a zero retardation optical property that suits new-generation IPS Mode LCD displays.
ITRI has licensed this technology to domestic manufacturers for mass production process development. ITRI is transferring the technology to TacBright Optronics Corp. (Taiwan) for exclusive distribution. HyTAC technology may be licensed out in the future.
ITRI has applied for six patents for HyTAC, three of which have been granted.
Watch how the TAC works in this YouTube video from ITRI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5k0KEosYeQ
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a nonprofit R&D organization performing applied research and technical services in 6 core laboratories, 3 focus centers, 5 linkage centers, and many labs and business development units. ITRI concentrates on Information and Communication; Electronics and Optoelectronics; Material, Chemical and Nanotechnologies; Biomedical Technologies and Device; Advanced Manufacturing and Systems; and Green Energy and Environment. Learn more at www.itri.org.tw/eng.