Molecular Reorientational Motion of a Polymer-Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal

Abstract

The polymer-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals (PS-FLC) exhibit monostable and asymmetric electrooptical characteristics with grayscale capability without a threshold. The reorientational motion of FLC molecules can be investigated in terms of two independent optical parameters: the phase difference angle and the angle of the relative amplitude ratio measured with time-resolved ellipsometry. In this study, the time-resolved ellipsometry is applied to the PSFLCs, and we invesitgate the effect of polymer stabilization on the dynamic behavior of molecular reorientation. The measurement results demonstrated the dynamic behavior of PSFLC-molecular reorientation comparatively depends on the tilt angle which FLC takes at the photocure stage.

Keywords:

• ellipsometry
• ferroelectric liquid crystal
• polymer
• reorientation
• tilt angle

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. H. Fukuro and Mr. H. Endoh of Nissan Chem. Ind. for supplying polyimide materials. We also thank to Dr. H. Takatsu and Dr. H. Hasebe of Dainippon Ink and Chemicals for supplying photocurable mesogenic materials.