Vertically Aligned Nematics at Polymer interfaces and Its device implications

In-situ photopolymerization of alkyl acrylate monomers in the presence of a nematic fluid provides a cellular matrix of liquid crystalline droplets in which the chemical structure of the encapsulating polymer exerts control over the alignment (anchoring) of the liquid crystalline molecules. Control is obtained by variation of the alkyl side chains and through copolymerization of two dissimilar monofunctional acrylates. Two monofunctional acrylates with opposing tendencies on copolymerization provide control over the tunability of anchoring over a wide temperature range. Using various acrylates we show that a uniform vertical alignment can be achieved over a large area. Utilizing this technique and a nematic with negative dielectric anisotropy, we have fabricated highly flexible liquid crytal based devices, with high contrast and fast response time, without using any alignment layer.