Advanced Materials, Vol.20, No.16, 3073-3078, 2008
Orientational transition of liquid crystal molecules by a photoinduced transformation process into a recovery-free silicon oxide layer
The vertical alignment of liquid crystal (LC) on an inorganic silicon oxide layer, which is fabricated by a simple photoinduced transformation process of an ultrathin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) layer is reported. While the PDMS layer shows a random orientation of LC, the silicon oxide layer, fabricated by UVO treatment, vertically aligns the LC. In addition, the silicon oxide layer shows a stable alignment of LC in harsh conditions.