Transmittance Values Research Articles

Enhanced Optical and Thermal Stability of Blue Pyrrole Derivatives for Color Filter in Image Sensors

We designed and synthesized two novel blue pyrrole derivatives, 2-(3-cyano-4-(4-(dibutylamino)phenyl)-5-oxo-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ylidene)malononitrile (BAPCP) and 2-(3-cyano-4-(4-(dihexylamino)phenyl)-5-oxo-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ylidene)malononitrile (HAPCP), as potential candidates for use in image sensor color filters. The properties of these new compounds were evaluated, focusing on their optical and thermal characteristics in solution and color filter film forms. The molar extinction coefficient values of BAPCP and HAPCP in solution were 6.03 × 104 and 6.91 × 104 L/mol·cm. The molar extinction coefficient of HAPCP was 4.5 times higher than that of the commercially used Disperse Blue 359. The synthesized compounds exhibited transmittance values that meet commercial requirements, with 88.6% at 450 nm and 0.73% at 530 nm. Both newly synthesized compounds met the decomposition temperature requirement of over 230 °C, which is necessary for the manufacturing process of image sensor color filters. The decomposition temperatures of both compounds were approximately 19 °C higher than that of Disperse Blue 359. When the thermal stability of color filter films for image sensors was evaluated, BAPCP demonstrated excellent optical properties before and after thermal stability testing, maintaining its characteristics in an optimized molecular form. Accordingly, BAPCP appears to have favorable potential as a blue colorant for image sensors, attributed to its superior optical and thermal stability characteristics.

Effect of MgCl2 dopant on optical properties of tamarind gum based biopolymer electrolytes

Recent research on biopolymers based on magnesium salts is scarce in the existing literature. In the current research study, solution-casting technique was used for the preparation of solid biopolymer electrolytes, using Tamarind Seed Polysaccharide (TSP) as the host biopolymer, which was doped with several varying concentrations of magnesium chloride (MgCl2). UV-visible spectroscopic method was used to investigate the thermal and optical parameters in the wavelength range of 200 nm to 800 nm. From the study of optical absorption parameter, the values of optical transmission, optical refractive index, optical absorption coefficient and optical extinction coefficient were calculated. These parameters revealed optimum values for the film of composition TSP:MgCl2 (70:30 wt.%).

Structural, Surface, and Optical Properties of Nitrogen-Doped Al:ZnO (NAZO) Thin Films Produced by a Thermionic Vacuum Arc Deposition Technology

Nitrogen (N)-doped Al:ZnO (NAZO) thin films were deposited on glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass by a thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) technique. The structural, surface morphology, and optical properties of the produced thin films were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The microstructure properties of the produced thin films on two substrates were compared, and metal oxide phases were observed in the XRD patterns and photoluminescence spectra. 2.75, 3.10, and 3.30 eV band gaps were detected. The transmittance values were approximately 90% and 60% for the film deposited onto uncoated and ITO-coated glass, respectively. According to field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images, the crystallite size is nanoscale, and its dimensions are approximately 60 and 20 nm for the film deposited onto uncoated and ITO-coated glass substrates, respectively. Atomic ratios of zinc/aluminum were 9.25/0.56, and 5.42/0.22 for uncoated and ITO-coated glass substrate, respectively. All samples were coated with the same coating process, and no post-annealing process was applied to the sample.

Development of three-layer microneedle system for controlled and sustained release of Levonorgestrel: A pioneering approach to long-term contraceptive delivery.

The increasing prevalence of unintended pregnancies, a persistent issue affecting public health and hindering progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlights the critical need for innovative contraceptive approaches. While current methods, including hormonal contraceptives such as levonorgestrel (LNG), offer potential solutions, challenges like limited access and inconsistent use persist. This study introduces a new approach with the development of a three-layer microneedle (TIMN) containing LNG designed to provide extended contraceptive efficacy. The TIMN was formulated with varying concentrations of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) in the first layer, resulting in microneedles approximately 700µm in height. In this study, TIMN demonstrated superior mechanical strength with less than 10% reduction in needle height under compression. The formulations maintained a surface pH within the skin's normal range, ensuring safety and compatibility, while water vapor transmission (WVT) values indicated good stability under high humidity. Moisture absorption ability (MAA) testing showed low water absorption, suggesting suitability for extended use. In vitro release studies revealed that TIMN released 28.34% of LNG after 24h and up to 97.34% over 14days, demonstrating controlled and sustained release. Ex vivo studies confirmed TIMN's longer-lasting LNG availability compared to the control, and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies showed that TIMN maintained therapeutic LNG levels for up to 14days, outperforming oral LNG suspension. Biocompatibility tests, including HET-CAM and hemolysis assays, confirmed TIMN's safety, with no significant irritation or toxicity. Histopathological analysis further supported the absence of adverse reactions. The TIMN formulation, exhibits promising properties for long-term drug delivery, including mechanical strength, stability, controlled release, and biocompatibility, making it a viable candidate for improved contraceptive therapy.

Leveraging ordinal depth for accurate transmission estimation in single image dehazing

ABSTRACT Real-time images with haze do not meet the input quality standards for computer vision models. Existing dehazing algorithms have shown effective results at the nearby pixels. However, they fail to dehaze the pixels as the distance regions. Also, some of the models fail when the group of pixels contains white patches such as clouds. This paper proposed an approach that not only clears haze in nearby regions but also distant sky regions. The proposed model estimates image transmission based on the scene's depth information. The ordinal depth of the scene is first estimated and categorized as foreground, background, and sky. Using the transmission values of the foreground pixels, the transmission values for the other pixels are recalculated and applied to the Atmospheric Scattering model to produce the dehazed image. Extensive testing on datasets has shown that the proposed model delivers superior results compared to existing state-of-the-art image dehazing networks.

The effect of additional bitter gourd seed oil on the effectiveness of zinc oxide sunscreen cream

Background: Sunscreen can protect the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) exposure. This study formulated sunscreen cream using a combination of zinc oxide (ZnO) and bitter gourd seed oil. Objective: This study was to determine the effect of adding bitter gourd seed oil in various concentrations on the characteristics of the cream, the effect of irritation on the skin, and the effectiveness of sunscreen in vitro. Method: The ZnO cream combined with bitter gourd seed oil was prepared in various concentrations of F0 (0%), F1 (6%), F2 (9%), and F3 (12%). After that, the physical characteristics and in vitro sunscreen activity were evaluated. Result: The results showed that all formulations met the requirements of organoleptic and homogeneity tests. Cream indicates the type of oil in water (O/W) with a pH of 4.5-8. Spreadability tests are in the range of 5-8 cm, while the irritation test on the skin of the rat's back showed no signs of erythema or oedema. The SPF (Sun protection factors) were 5.64, 10.3, 16.1, and 22.8, with %TE (Erythema transmission) values of 0.983, 0.764, 0.182, and 0.006, while the %TP (Pigmentation Transmission) were 0.981, 0.885, 0.211, and 0.006. LSD results in each test showed that the four formulations had significant differences (p <0.05). Conclusion: The analysis concluded that adding bitter gourd seed oil could increase the in vitro effectiveness of ZnO sunscreen cream preparations and did not cause irritation to the skin.

Smoke Precipitation by Exposure to Dual-Frequency Ultrasonic Oscillations

The analysis conducted herein has shown that the efficiency of smoke precipitation can be improved by additionally making smoke particles interact with ultrasonic (US) oscillations. Because the efficiency of US coagulation lowers when small particles assemble into agglomerates, the authors of this work have suggested studying how smoke particles interact with complex sound fields. The fields are formed by at least two US transducers which work at a similar frequency or on frequencies with small deviations. To form these fields, high-efficiency bending wave ultrasonic transducers have been developed and suggested. It has been shown that a complex ultrasonic field significantly enhances smoke precipitation. The field in question was constructed by simultaneously emitting 22 kHz US oscillations with a sound pressure level no lower than 140 dB at a distance of 1 m. The difference in US oscillations’ frequencies was no more than 300 Hz. Due to the effect of multi-frequency ultrasonic oscillations induced in the experimental smoke chamber, it was possible to provide a transmissivity value of 0.8 at a distance of 1 m from the transducers and 0.9 at a distance of 2 m. Thus, the uniform visibility improvement and complete suppression of incoming smoke was achieved. At the same time, the dual-frequency effect does not require an increase in ultrasonic energy for smoke due to the agglomeration of small particles under the influence of high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations and the further aggregation of the formed agglomerates by creating conditions for the additional rotational movement of the agglomerates due to low-frequency vibrations.

Effects of dual plasticizers for improved PVC gel-based varifocal tiny lens

Abstract Electroactive polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel-based varifocal lenses are attractive due to their excellent transparency, simple fabrication, compact structure, and good flexibility. In this work, dibutyl adipate (DBA) and propylene carbonate (PC) were utilized to plasticize PVC for fabricating transparent, soft, and flexible gels by solvent casting method. The PVC gels were characterized by various experimental techniques to investigate their optical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Further, the PVC gels were examined to construct a compact plano-convex tiny lens structure for varifocal lens application under electrical stimulation. The work revealed that the introduction of a co-plasticizer PC improves the overall dielectric property as well as transparency of the PVC gels. The observed enhancement in dielectric constant of the PC incorporated gels increased up to 6 times of the only DBA plasticized PVC gel (D9) while the transmittance value is ~5% higher than that of D9 gel. Moreover, the optimal ratio of DBA and PC in PVC gel was found to be 8.6: 0.4: 1 (wt %) and the optimized D8.6P0.4 gel induces better actuation properties resulting in improved focal length variation for the developed lens. The proposed adaptive tiny lens could change its focal length from 3 mm to 20.5 mm with increasing input voltage from 0 V to 1000 V. The developed tiny lens exhibited excellent optical characteristics including fast response speed and good stability. Moreover, this study broadens the scope for property tuning strategies for the EAP design and application.

Tunable ultra-wideband band-stop filters based on a metal-insulator-metal waveguide with triangle resonators

This study introduces the design and analysis of ultra-wideband band-stop filters based on a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide with triangle resonators. The optical features of the filters are determined numerically. Transmission values and field distributions have been obtained. To show the tunability of the resonances of the filters, parameter sweep analysis has been done. This feature provides the shifted wideband bandwidths from visible to mid-infrared regimes. The highest bandwidth is 859 nm for band-stop filtering in this work. Higher bandwidths can be achieved by increasing the number of resonators adjacent to the waveguide. This research offers the potential to improve the filtering capabilities of optical devices through the use of high-efficiency MIM waveguide-resonator systems.

Hydrophobic properties of phytoplankton-enhanced tapioca starch biocomposites

Abstract Sustainable material production from renewable resources is currently popular. This is due to the increasing awareness of the community towards the environment. Various products have been developed with natural materials to replace conventional plastics. Alternative materials to replace conventional plastics that are environmentally friendly are readily available, such as tapioca starch. Starch is a natural polymer that is very abundant and promising as a food packaging material. Starch is also easily degraded, non-toxic, and inexpensive. However, starch has bad air barrier properties, low hydrophobicity. To reduce these weaknesses, phytoplankton can be added to pure starch films. This study has succeeded in seeing the hydrophobic properties that the transmittance value for O-H stretching increased after phytoplankton was added to tapioca starch. Meanwhile, the transmittance of O-H at a wavelength of 3292 cm−1 for 0 ml of Starch/PP film was 37.28%. While the addition of phytoplankton suspension, the O-H transmittance at a wavelength of 3292 cm−1 for 20 ml of Starch/PP film was 43.67%. In this case, the addition of phytoplankton suspension increased the transmittance value from 37.38% to 43.67%. This finding indicates that well-dispersed phytoplankton in the PVA matrix form stronger hydrogen bonds, increase the hydrophobic properties of the biocomposite, and reduce the free O-H content.

Genetic parameters of milk mid-infrared spectra and their genetic relationships with milk production and feed efficiency traits in French Lacaune dairy sheep

In French dairy sheep, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) milk spectral data routinely predict the major milk components used in national genetic evaluations. The direct influence of genetic and environmental factors on milk FTIR spectra has been widely studied in dairy cattle, and relatively little in dairy ewes. In this study, 36,873 milk test-day records were available for 4,712 French Lacaune ewes farmed on 8 commercial farms. Our main goals were to provide the first description of spectral data and estimate the genetic parameters of French Lacaune dairy sheep during lactation. Principal component analysis (PCA) results demonstrated the impact of the lactation period on specific wavenumbers, allowing the identification of FTIR spectra collected at early (mo 2-4) and late (mo 5-7) lactation stages. The average estimated heritability (±mean SE) of the FTIR milk spectra from 2,971 to 926 cm-1 (446 wavenumbers) was 0.29 ± 0.02, ranging from 0.13 ± 0.01 to 0.42 ± 0.02. Furthermore, the heritabilities of spectra collected at the beginning or end of lactation changed at each point of the spectrum. However, at each wavenumber, the genomic correlation of transmittance values between these 2 lactation periods was high (>0.77), indicating the absence of a genotype-environment interaction. The genomic correlations between spectral regions and milk production traits (i.e., daily milk yield, fat and protein content, somatic cell score) varied from moderate to high. The results suggested that the most heritable areas of the spectrum were also genetically associated with dairy traits. Finally, the genomic correlations observed between the ewes' feed efficiency traits and the FTIR spectrum were moderate to high, while the genomic correlations between the change in body condition score and spectral data were rather low to moderate. This study confirmed that spectral data from Lacaune ewe milk were heritable, evolved phenotypically and genetically during lactation and were genetically correlated with traits included in breeding goals or traits of interest to the dairy industry.

BKa, BH*(10) and BH* for 70, 90 and 120 kV X-rays in clay based bricks

Clay-based bricks are used worldwide in the construction industry due to their mechanical properties and durability. To design or evaluate the shielding of a room having a X-ray radiation source, is necessary to determine the walls thickness (barriers) necessary to reduce the dose due to primary, scattered and leakage radiation. For these calculations is required to know the dose transmission of room walls materials. In this work, Monte Carlo methods were used to estimate the Ka, H*(10) and H* transmission values of the red brick for X-rays produced when 70, 90 and 120 keV electrons collide with a tungsten target and pass through a 0.28 cm-thick aluminum filter. Dose transmission values in function of shielding thickness were fitted to a semiempirical function. Curves of dose transmission, and the parameters obtained by the fitting process, can be used to evaluate or to design a shielding based on clay bricks.

Photoelectric-coupled multilayer smart glass synergistically regulated with doped nanoparticles of GaAs and IST phase change layers

Windows are the main part of the building energy exchange. Most of the solar energy that passes through the windows is reflected or converted into heat loss, which causes a great waste of energy. To improve the energy utilization, this work presents the design of a multilayer glass with a GaAs layer doped by nanoparticles and an IST (In3SbTe2) phase change layer. The dielectric function of the doped layer is obtained by the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory. The transmittance and the photoelectric conversion efficiency are calculated through the transfer matrix method. With the genetic algorithm, the structure parameters are optimized to achieve the high values of both average transmittance in human-eye response band and photoelectric conversion energy. The average transmittance of the human eye response band for the structure containing only GaAs doped layer reaches 0.5–0.6, and the average photovoltaic conversion efficiency is above 0.2. After adding the IST phase change layer, the difference of ranges of the spectral regulation between the two phases in the metal nanoparticle doped structure can reach more than 0.25. The light transmission regulation is realized by active phase change. This work provides an optimization-based analysis approach and a possible design of the multilayer smart glass.

Research on infrared spectral characteristics and rapid detection technology of industrial hemp

Objective: The aim of this study was to research the infrared spectroscopic features of various industrial hemp samples, establish a rapid infrared detection method for industrial hemp based on cannabidiol (CBD) content, and utilize infrared spectroscopy to differentiate industrial hemp flowers and leaves from different varieties and origins. Methods: Appropriate preprocessing was conducted on the industrial hemp samples based on their inherent characteristics. The samples were then scanned using the FTIR spectrometer, with careful subtraction of the background spectrum. A semi-quantitative rapid detection method for flowers and leaves using infrared spectroscopy was developed through partial least squares discriminant analysis. Data processing software was used to conduct principal component analysis and cluster analysis on the transmittance values of infrared characteristic absorption peaks, aiding in the identification and differentiation of samples from different varieties, origins, and harvest dates. Results: A semi-quantitative rapid detection method for industrial hemp flowers and leaves based on CBD content was successfully developed. Principal component analysis was able to clearly distinguish industrial hemp of different varieties and origins, effectively clustering samples of the same variety. This underscores the significant impact of mid-infrared spectroscopy in the identification and analysis of industrial hemp, providing an innovative approach to quickly identifying different hemp varieties.

Performance evaluation for Q-learning based anycast routing protocol in unmanned aerial vehicle networks with multiple base stations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) networks can be used for data transmission in emergency scenarios, relaying data from ground users to base stations (BSs). While UAV networks collaborating with multi-BSs can significantly enhance performance, existing UAV routing protocols predominantly focus on unicast routing and often neglect critical aspects such as base station discovery. In addition, the high mobility of UAVs and rapid changes in network topology also pose great challenges for existing multi-BS routing protocols to maintain efficient data transmission. Aiming at the above problems, this paper abstracts the routing of multi-base station UAV networks as anycast routing for dynamic networks and proposes a distributed anycast routing protocol called QARP to improve the data transmission performance. In QARP, base stations can be discovered automatically and parameters of Q-learning are dynamically adjusted to improve the efficiency of data transmission. The Link Duration Estimation is used to influence routing decision and dynamically adjust the hello message interval. A multiple base stations transmission value function is designed to indicate the performance of data transmission and is used to calculate the reward and update Q-table. The experimental results show that the QARP proposed in this paper outperforms existing multi-BS routing and Q-learning based routing protocols in terms of delay, packet delivery ratio and throughput in single base station and multiple base stations scenarios.

Investigation of Wettability, Thermal Stability, and Solar Behavior of Composite Films Based on Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Barium Titanate Nanoparticles.

Herein, composite films were produced by incorporating different amounts (1, 3, 5, and 7%) of barium titanate nanoparticles into the thermoplastic polyurethane matrix using a solution casting method. This study examined the impact of the presence and concentration of a barium titanate additive on morphologic properties, mechanical performance, thermal stability, solar behavior, and wettability of produced film samples. The films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope, ultraviolet-visible near-infrared spectrophotometer, water contact angle, and tensile strength measurements. In the present study, the mass loss of samples containing 7% barium titanate was 24% lower than that of the pure polyurethane reference. The increase of barium titanate rate added to polyurethane enhanced the solar reflectance property of the films, including the near-infrared region. As a prominent result, the transmittance value decreased significantly compared to the reference in the ultraviolet region, and it dropped to 3% for the highest additive concentration. The contact angle values of polyurethane films increased by 11-40% depending on the barium titanate addition ratio. The nano additive also positively affected the mechanical performance of the reference polyurethane film by slightly increasing the tensile strength values.

Solar-optical and thermal behavior of photochromic glazing: Small-scale testing under real sky conditions

The poor performance of conventional building glazing, which is usually responsible for large climatization needs and glare problems, has been promoting the development of innovative smart glazing technologies with an improved performance. Photochromic glazing, a type of smart glazing, exhibits a dynamic behavior by darkening/bleaching in reaction to the presence/absence of solar radiation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the thermal and solar-optical behavior of a photochromic filmed clear glazing, against the same glazing without film, through experimental tests. The transmittance and reflectance spectra of the glazing solutions were initially measured with a spectrophotometer. Then two small-scale models were used to assess the behavior of the glazing solutions under real sky conditions (clear and overcast). The thermal behavior was assessed through air and surface temperature measurements. The solar-optical behavior was investigated through solar radiation and illuminance measurements, which were also used to compute the solar and visible transmittance of the glazing systems, respectively. The dynamic behavior of the photochromic film resulted on a reduction of 14 % of the interior temperature. Interior illuminance and irradiance levels were significantly reduced with the film, corresponding to 10–50 % and 15–35 % visible and solar transmittance values of the photochromic glazing, respectively.

Comparing enzymatic post-treatments by endoglucanase (EG) and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) on microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) to enhance cellulose film fabrication

Cellulose is the world's most abundant natural polymer and it can be used as a substitute for fossil derived products. The work described here evaluated the use of mono-component enzyme treatment, using endoglucanase (EG) and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO), to improve the properties of micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) produced from mechanically refined kraft pulp. Endoglucanase treatment of the pulp significantly reduced the degree of polymerization (DP) of the cellulose by promoting fiber cutting. In contrast, LPMO treatment only slightly reduced the fiber length and pulp viscosity. However, the introduction of carboxylic acid groups by the action of LPMO appeared to enhance the accessible surface area of cellulose. Enzyme-treated MFC showed improved nano-fibrillation with transmittance and water retention values increased after both enzyme treatments. The cellulose films derived from enzyme-treated MFC showed enhanced mechanical properties with the LPMO-treated films showing superior tensile strength (77 MPa) and Young's modulus (3600 MPa). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) also indicated improved thermal stability for both enzyme-treated films. LPMO treatments proved more effective, promoting nano-fibrillation while maintaining fiber integrity and enhanced intermolecular interactions.

Project Report: Thermal Performance of FIRSTLIFE House

The paper deals with selected thermal properties of a small building that was built during the international student competition Solar Decathlon 2021/2022 and is now part of the Living Lab in Wuppertal. It summarizes the essential information about the overall design of this wooden building with construction and technologies corresponding to the passive building standard. Built-in sensors and other equipment enable long-term monitoring of thermal parameters. Part of the information comes from the building operation control system. The thermal transmittance value for the perimeter wall matches calculated expectation well, even from a short period of time and not at an achievable perfectly steady state boundary condition. The (positive) difference between the calculated values and the measured ones did not exceed 0.015 W/(m2K). It was proven that even for such a small building with a very small heat demand, the heat transfer coefficient can be estimated alternatively from a co-heating test (measured electricity power for a fan heater) and from energy delivered to underfloor heating (calorimeter in heating system). Differences among both measurement types and calculation matched in the range ± 10%. In the last section, the dynamic response test is briefly described. The measured indoor air temperature curves under periodic dynamic loads (use of fan heater) are compared with the simulation results. The simulation model working with lumped parameters for each element of the building envelope was able to replicate the measured situation well, while its use does not require special knowledge of the user. In the studied case, the differences between measured and simulated air temperatures were less than 1 Kelvin if the first two to three days of the test period are ignored due to large thermal inertia. Finally, the measurement campaign program for the next period is outlined.

Carbon dots induced homeotropic alignment in a negative dielectric nematic liquid crystal material

Abstract Recently, doping guest materials such as quantum dots (QDs) into liquid crystals (LCs) has been of great interest since their addition substantially enhances the properties of LC and opens new avenues for scientific advancement. Here, we report the induction of homeotropic alignment in cells without alignment layers of the negative dielectric nematic liquid crystal, N-(4-Methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline (MBBA) by doping with carbon dots (CDs ∼2.8 ± 0.72 nm). The CDs-MBBA composites (CDs concentration: 0.002, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 wt%) were investigated using optical polarising microscopy, electro-optical and dielectric techniques. Polarizing optical micrographs and voltage dependent optical transmission revealed the induced homeotropic alignment for all the composites under investigation. Interestingly, the least concentrated sample, 0.002 wt% exhibited partial homeotropic alignment. However, due to light leakage, the optical transmission value below threshold voltage was relatively higher than the rest of the composites. MBBA is a negative dielectric material, hence the application of a voltage across the cell was able to switch the alignment from a dark to a bright state for all composites. However, above a certain voltage (>threshold voltage), the bright state produced some instabilities. The value of dielectric permittivity was observed to decrease with increasing concentration, confirming the effect of CDs in producing homeotropic alignment in MBBA. Measurements as a function of temperature were conducted to examine the thermal stability of the induced alignment. The alignment was found to be stable throughout the nematic phase of MBBA. The induction of such alignment without conventional alignment (i.e., rubbing of polyimides) technique can be helpful in addressing the evolving display demands by making liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and other display devices cost effective.