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Abstract
We demonstrate that photostimulated self‐assembly, running in parallel with molecular photoorientation in the top layer of the aligning polymer film, breaks the bulk molecular order mainly determined by the symmetry of irradiation. This may substantially modify liquid crystal (LC) alignment. Depending on the chemical composition of the liquid crystal, the self‐assembled layers may influence either homeotropic or planar LC alignment with extremely weak azimuthal anchoring. Effective self‐assembly occurs in polymers having side chain chromophores with flexible spacers and polar terminal groups.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the support of D. Huang and Fion Yeung in the anchoring energy measurements and J. Ho in the equipment installation. We also thank V. Syromyatnikov, L. Olkhovyk, J. Lindau and L.‐C. Chien for providing the azopolymers. This research was supported by RGC (grant HKUST6102/03E), Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund (grant ITS/111/03), INTAS (grant 03‐51‐5448) and the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (grant VC89).