Homeotropic alignment behavior of liquid crystal molecules on self-assembled monolayers with fluorinated alkyl chain

Abstract

This study demonstrates the orientation characteristics of liquid crystals (LCs) on fluorinated self-assembled monolayers (FSAMs) deposited using the gas phase method. The authors confirmed that the FSAMs were properly deposited on indium-doped tin oxide glass substrates using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Compared with conventional polyimide (PI) layers, the authors confirmed that the FSAM is an alternative to the conventional PI layer. Regardless of the positive and negative LC characteristics, the LC molecules were vertically aligned on the FSAMs, with hydrophobic properties. In addition, an LC cell using an FSAM showed faster response times than that with a conventional PI layer when the electro-optical characteristics were examined. Therefore, these results indicate that FSAMs are suitable for LC applications as homeotropic LC alignment layers.