Molecular Orientation Properties of Polyimide Alignment Films, With Pendant Liquid Crystalline Mesogenic Moieties

Abstract

A series of polyimides containing pendant liquid crystalline mesogenic moieties, such as cyanobiphenyl, has been designed, and synthesized. They can easily be processed by spin-coating into LC alignment films. Molecular orientation properties of these alignment films showed fairly different behavior compared to those laterally fused long alkyl side-chain. In order to understand the results, the differences of terminal substituent dipole moments and polyimide conformations have been simulated by the methods of molecular orbital and molecular mechanics calculation techniques.