Abstract
When liquid crystal(LC) molecules contact with a polymer surface, the order parameter of LC molecular alilgnment at the (polymer/LC) interface is not always same as that in the bulk region but is dependent on the magnitude of intermolecular interaction with the polymer surface. The degree of LC molecular order at the interface corresponds to + or - shift of the nematic-isotropic phase trasition temperature(TNT) in comparison with the bulk TNT on the basis of Landau-de Gennes theory. In this study, it was confirmed from the phase transition behavior at the (polymer/LC) interface that the interfacial order of LC molecular alignment is strongly dependent on the magnitude of surface frees energy and the aggregation structure of polymers.
