Alignments of reactive mesogen using rubbed glass substrates

Abstract

Alignments of photo-reactive mesogen were induced using bare glass substrates without a polymer alignment layer. It was found by using polarized FTIR spectroscopy, polarized microscopy, and birefringence measurement experiments that the reactive mesogen could be aligned along the rubbing direction although the glass substrate without an alignment layer was used. The induction mechanism of the rubbed bare glass is ascribed to that polymers from rubbing clothes are coated on the glass substrate along the rubbing direction and lead the alignment of liquid crystals through intermolecular interactions.