6. Economic and environmental aspects
The price of liquid crystal mixtures used for display applications varies between e3 and e25 per gram, depending on the type of application (from TN to TFT) and the desired quality (contrast ratio and speed). In 2010, the world market for liquid crystals was estimated at around 1.6 billion euros, for some 240 tonnes (compared with 50 tonnes 10 years ago). Around 300 types of molecule are used for over a hundred commercial products (mixtures). Three major liquid crystal producers share 90% of this market: Merck Chemicals (over 60%), Chisso Corporation and DIC Corporation. The remainder is held by several Asian producers.
Liquid crystals used in the display industry are organic substances, with a potential impact on the environment. As a precautionary measure, producers are required to carry out toxicity tests on all products sold in the European Community in excess...
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Economic and environmental aspects
Bibliography
Directory
Manufacturers – Suppliers – Distributors
Chisso Corporation : http://www.chisso.co.jp/english
DIC Corporation : http://www.dic-global.com/en/
Events
Two major exhibitions and conferences are organized each year, bringing together the major producers of liquid crystals and displays: the Society for Information Display (SID) in the USA, and IMID (International Meeting on Information Displays) in Asia.
Two other biennial conferences are organized in turn: European Conference on Liquid Crystals, organized in 2011 in Maribor
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