METHOD FOR OPTICALLY ALIGNING AND NETWORK-STABILIZING FERROELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTALS

摘要

The method induces and stabilizes a long-range molecular orientation in a chiral smectic-C phase of a ferroelectric liquid crystal host. The ferroelectric liquid crystal host defines a plurality of layers each having a director and a normal. Chirality in the smectic-C phase gives rise in each layer to spontaneous polarization normal to the layer's director and normal. Chirality in the smectic-C phase also leads to rotation of the directors of successive layers about the normal of the layers to form a helical structure whereby no resultant spontaneous polarization is observed. The method comprises dissolving an optically self-aligning monomer in the ferroelectric liquid crystal host to form a mixture, this monomer self-aligning in response to linearly polarized light. The method also includes suppressing the helical structure in the chiral smectic-C phase of the ferroelectric liquid crystal to obtain the long-range molecular orientation by irradiating the mixture with linearly polarized light and polymerizing the monomer. This produces an anisotropic polymer network which, in turn, induces and stabilizes the above mentioned long-range molecular orientation.