Abstract
Photoinduced two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) alignment behavior of polymer liquid crystals (LCs) with azobenzene moieties was investigated. Two-dimensional alignment of the polymer LCs was brought about on irradiation with linearly polarized light. The effects of various factors on the phenomena were discussed in detail, and experimental conditions and structural parameters of the polymer LCs were optimized. It was found that the response could be enhanced by two methods: chemically tailoring the structure of the polymer LCs and physically modifying the alignment procedure. Three- dimensional alignment of the azobenzene moieties was achieved on irradiation with unpolarized light. It was revealed that the azobenzene moieties were aligned along the propagation direction of the incident light. Photochemically inert mesogens underwent reorientation together with azobenzene moieties in the 2-D as well as 3-D alignment process.
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