Study of the Photo-alignment Technique through the Surface Modification

A surface-assisted photo-control of the liquid crystal (LC) alignment has been achieved by modifying the topmost surface of the polyimide film with photo-reactive molecules. Recently, photo-alignment technique using a thin film of poly(vinyl cinnamates) have been reported. However their commercial potentiality is limited by their low thermal stability. To enhance thermal stability, we synthesized the chalcone derivatives as the photo-reactive molecules and introduced the materials on the surface-modified polyimide film.. We identified that the photo-chemical reaction of the chalcone derivatives occur in few minutes with irradiation of UV light. The photo-alignment characteristics of the modified polyimide films treated by polarized UV light and their LC cells are investigated as a function of exposure dose.