Influence of 4-cyano-4′-biphenylcarboxylic acid on the orientational ordering of cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals at chemically functionalized surfaces

Abstract

We report two methods that involve tailoring of the chemical composition of the nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl to achieve control over the orientational ordering of the liquid crystal on chemically functionalized surfaces. The first method involves the direct addition of 4-cyano-4′-biphenylcarboxylic acid to 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl. The second method involves exposure of 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl to ultraviolet light and photochemical generation of a range of products, including 4-cyano-4′-biphenylcarboxylic acid. The addition of the acid or exposure to ultraviolet light accelerated the rate at which the liquid crystal exhibited an orientational transition from planar to perpendicular (homeotropic) alignment on surfaces presenting ammonium groups. The appearance of the homeotropic orientation of the UV-treated 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl on ammonium-terminated surfaces was dependent on the thickness of the film of liquid crystal (13–50 μm), consistent with a dipolar coupling between the liquid crystal and the electric field associated with an electrical double layer generated at the ammonium surface. Although the addition of 4-cyano-4′-biphenylcarboxylic acid or UV treatment of the liquid crystal also promoted homeotropic orientations on surfaces presenting hydroxyl groups, the orientations of the UV-treated liquid crystal on the hydroxyl-terminated surface did not change with thickness of the film of liquid crystal in the manner observed on the ammonium-terminated surfaces. The latter result indicates that the mechanism leading to homeotropic anchoring on hydroxyl-terminated surfaces is distinct from that on ammonium-terminated surfaces. Measurements performed using polarization modulation infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy suggest that hydrogen bonding between the 4-cyano-4′-biphenylcarboxylic acid and the hydroxyl-terminated surface is responsible for the homeotropic anchoring on the surface. Finally, the orientation of the liquid crystal on methyl-terminated surfaces was not influenced by the addition of 4-cyano-4′-biphenylcarboxylic acid nor UV treatment. These results illustrate how the chemical composition of liquid crystals can be manipulated to achieve control over their ordering on surfaces that possess chemical functionality relevant to the development of liquid crystal-based sensors and diagnostic tools. We illustrate the utility of this approach by using the tailored liquid crystal to amplify and optically transduce the presence of proteins arrayed on ammonium-terminated surfaces.