A new electro-optic effect is presented, based on guest-host interactions in nematic liquid crystals. The ability of a nematic liquid crystal to cooperatively align in an electric field is used to orient ``guest'' dichroic dye molecules (molecules whose absorption spectrum is a function of the molecular orientation with respect to the polarization of the incident light). Thus one can electrically switch the color of transmitted light using fields of the order of 104 V/cm.

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A new electro-optic effect based on the disruptive effects of ion transport through certain classes of nematic liquid crystals is presented. The initially transparent liquid scatters light strongly (appears white) when subjected to fields of 5 × 103 V/cm. Reflective contrast ratios of better than 20:1 with efficiencies of 45% of the standard white have been obtained.

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