Liquid Crystal Alignment on the Films of Polymethacrylate and polyurethane Bearing an Aminonitroazobenzene Chromophore

Dong Hoon Choi; Jae Hyung Kim; Kang Jin Cho

Korea Polymer Journal, Vol.8, No.4, 172-178, August, 2000

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Liquid Crystal Alignment on the Films of Polymethacrylate and polyurethane Bearing an Aminonitroazobenzene Chromophore

Dong Hoon Choi^†, Jae Hyung Kim, and Kang Jin Cho

College of Environment and Applied Chemistry, Institute of Material Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungki-do 449-701, Korea

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We synthesized polymethacrylate and polyurethane bearing a photosensitive azobenzene chromophore. Photo-induced birefringence of the thin film was observed underalinearly polarized light (λ=532 nm). Dynamic behaviors of birefringence in two polymers were investigated in terms of the rate constants of growth and decay. An induced dichroism was observed from polarized UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. Layers of two photosensitive polymers were used for aligning liquid crystal (LC) molecules instead of one of the rubbed polyimide layers in the conventional twisted nematic cell. For producing homogeneous alignment of a nematic LC molecule, a linearly polarized light was exposed to the films of two polymers. The stability of the LC alignment upon the linearly polarized light exposure was also studied.

[References]

Natansohn A, Xie S, Rochon P, Macromolecules, 25, 5531 (1992)
Natansohn A, Rochon P, Gosselin J, Xie S, Macromolecules, 25, 2268 (1992)
Rochon P, Bissonnette D, Natansohn A, Xie S, Appl. Optics, 32, 7277 (1993)
Natansohn A, Rochon P, Pezolet M, Audet P, Brown D, To S, Macromolecules, 27(9), 2580 (1994)
Brown D, Natansohn A, Rochon P, Macromolecules, 28(18), 6116 (1995)
Natansohn A, Rochon P, Ho MS, Barrett C, Macromolecules, 28(12), 4179 (1995)
Hasegawa M, Taira Y, Proc. IDRC, 213 (1991)
West JL, Wang X, Li Y, Kelly JR, SID Dig., 26, 703 (1995)
Kim JH, Kumar S, Lee SD, Phys. Rev. E, 57, 5644 (1998)
Gibbons WM, Shannon PJ, Sun ST, Swetlin BJ, Nature, 351, 49 (1991)
Ichimura K, Hahashi Y, Akiyama H, Ikeda T, Ishizuki N, Appl. Phys. Lett., 63, 449 (1993)
Kanazawa A, Hirano S, Shishido A, Hasegawa M, Tsutsumi O, Shiono T, Ikeda T, Nagase Y, Akiyama E, Takamura Y, Liq. Cryst., 23, 293 (1997)
Neff VD, Liquid Crystals and Plastic Crystals, G.W. Gray, P.A. Winsor, Eds, Ellis Horwood, Chichester, U.K., 1974, Vol. 2, pp 231 (1974)
Wu YL, Demachi Y, Tsutsumi O, Kanazawa A, Shiono T, Ikeda T, Macromolecules, 31(2), 349 (1998)

[Referenced By]

[1] Natansohn A, Xie S, Rochon P, Macromolecules, 25, 5531 (1992)

[2] Natansohn A, Rochon P, Gosselin J, Xie S, Macromolecules, 25, 2268 (1992)

[3] Rochon P, Bissonnette D, Natansohn A, Xie S, Appl. Optics, 32, 7277 (1993)

[4] Natansohn A, Rochon P, Pezolet M, Audet P, Brown D, To S, Macromolecules, 27(9), 2580 (1994)

[5] Brown D, Natansohn A, Rochon P, Macromolecules, 28(18), 6116 (1995)

[6] Natansohn A, Rochon P, Ho MS, Barrett C, Macromolecules, 28(12), 4179 (1995)

[7] Hasegawa M, Taira Y, Proc. IDRC, 213 (1991)

[8] West JL, Wang X, Li Y, Kelly JR, SID Dig., 26, 703 (1995)

[9] Kim JH, Kumar S, Lee SD, Phys. Rev. E, 57, 5644 (1998)

[10] Gibbons WM, Shannon PJ, Sun ST, Swetlin BJ, Nature, 351, 49 (1991)

[11] Ichimura K, Hahashi Y, Akiyama H, Ikeda T, Ishizuki N, Appl. Phys. Lett., 63, 449 (1993)

[12] Kanazawa A, Hirano S, Shishido A, Hasegawa M, Tsutsumi O, Shiono T, Ikeda T, Nagase Y, Akiyama E, Takamura Y, Liq. Cryst., 23, 293 (1997)

[13] Neff VD, Liquid Crystals and Plastic Crystals, G.W. Gray, P.A. Winsor, Eds, Ellis Horwood, Chichester, U.K., 1974, Vol. 2, pp 231 (1974)

[14] Wu YL, Demachi Y, Tsutsumi O, Kanazawa A, Shiono T, Ikeda T, Macromolecules, 31(2), 349 (1998)