Photoalignment of hetero-smectic lamellar structure for a side-chain LC-POSS copolymer with smectic E phase

Abstract

Random copolymers having a mesogenic side chain and a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) side chain form a hetero smectic lamella structure alternately building up a smectic (Sm) liquid crystalline layer and a POSS layer. In this study, we synthesized a highly ordered hetero smectic lamella structure with Sm E phase. The lamella structure in thin films could be controlled to the vertical orientation to a substrate plane. By successive irradiating the film with linear polarized light, a monoaxial aligned vertical lamella film was obtained. We applied selective removal of the organic phase to the film with reactive ion etching.