1B03 Alignment Change of Columanr Liquid Crystal Domains by Wavelength Selective Infrared Laser Irradiation

Abstract

Wavelength-selective infrared photoinduced change of liquid crystal domains was investigated for columnar mesophases of a liquid clystalline triphenylene derivatives. A uniform and anisotropic alignmnt change of domains was observed when a polarized infrared light corresponding to the wavelength of the aromatic C-C stretching absorption band of triphenylene core was irradiated. The relationship between the aligned azimuthal angle of the columnar axis and the polarization of the infrared incidence was investigated. IR absorption dichroism is induced as a result of the reorientation of triphenylene core part. The texture observation and polarized microscopic FT-IR spectra show that a change of the molecular alignment occurred and the direction of columns depends on the polarizing angle of an irradiated infrared light. The technique could provide a novel technology to control the columnar alignment of highly viscous liquid crystals.