The first liquid crystalline phthalocyanine derivative capable of edge-on alignment for solution processed organic thin-film transistors

Tetraoctyl-substituted vanadyl phthalocyanine (OVPc4C8) as a new NIR-absorbing discotic liquid crystalline material can form highly ordered thin films with edge-on alignment of the molecules and molecular packing mode identical to that in the phase II of OVPc for solution processed OTFTs with mobility up to 0.017 cm(2) V-1 s(-1).

Achieving perpendicular alignment of rigid polythiophene backbones to the substrate by using solvent-vapor treatment

The rigid backbone of the poly(3-butylthiophene) molecule adopts a perpendicular orientation with respect to the substrate by using a solvent-vapor treatment (see figure). Small and closely contacting spherulites instead of conventional whisker-like crystals are achieved. This could be utilized to improve charge-carrier mobility particularly in the direction normal to the film plane by designing and constructing thick crystalline domains in the functional layer.

Electric-field-induced molecular alignment of side-chain liquid-crystalline polyacetylenes containing biphenyl mesogens

Electric-field-induced molecular alignments of side-chain liquid-crystalline polyacetylenes [-{HC=C[(CH2)(m)OCO-biph-OC7H15]}-, where biph is 4,4'-biphenylyl and m is 3 (PA3EO7) or 9 (PA9EO7)] were studied with X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy. An orientation as high as 0.84 was obtained for PA9EO7. Furthermore, the molecular orientation of]PA9EO7 was achieved within a temperature range between the isotropic-to-smectic A transition temperature and 115 degreesC, and this suggested that the orientational packing was affected by the thermal fluctuation of the isotropic liquid and the mobility of the mesogenic moieties. The maximum achievable orientation for PA9EO7 was much greater than that for PA3EO7. This was the first time that the electric-field-induced molecular orientation of a side-chain liquid-crystalline polymer with a stiff backbone was studied.

Liquid crystal alignment generated by linearly polarized UV light on photoactive low molecular mass compounds

Alignment films prepared from low molar mass photo-crosslinkable materials containing the cinnamate group can be used for aligning LCs after irradiating the films with linearly polarized UV light. The high contrast observed in the polarizing optical microscope between dark and bright images indicates that the alignment is quite uniform. As the photoreaction progresses. the average roughness of the films is increased. All the aggregate structures, 'lamellar crystals'. produced by the photo-crosslinking reaction are of a square shape.

Electrostatic-field-induced chain alignment of liquid crystalline copolyether TPP thin films

A liquid crystalline (LC) copolyether has been synthesized from 1-(4-hydroxy-4'-biphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane with 1,7-dibromoheptane and 1,11-dibromoundecane with a 50/50 (both in %) equal composition of the 7- and 11-methylene monomers [coTPP-7/11(5/5)]. A mono-domain with a homeotropic alignment can be induced by a thin film surface in the LC phase. When an electrostatic field is applied to the surface-induced mono-domains parallel to the thin film surface normal, the molecular alignment undergoes a change from the homeotropic to uniaxial homogeneous arrangement. However, when the field is applied to a direction perpendicular to the thin film surface normal. the molecular alignment is about 10 degrees -tilt with respect to the homeotropic alignment toward the a*-axis. This is because the permanent dipole moment of the copolyether is not right vertical to the molecular direction. The calculation of molecular dipoles indicates that the permanent dipole moment of this copolyether is about 70 degrees away from the molecular axis, which leads to a negative dielectric anisotropy. It is speculated that the 10 degrees- rather than 20 degrees -tilt is due to a balance between the alignment induced by the electrostatic field and the surface. In the electrostatic field, molecules are subjected to a torque tau, which is determined by the permanent dipole moment P and the electrostatic field E: tau = P x E. The molecular realignment in both parallel and perpendicular directions to the thin film surface normal is determined by satisfying the condition of tau = P x E = 0. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Liquid crystal alignment controlled by LB films

Copper phthalocyanine doped polymethacrylate Langmuir-Blodgett films were transferred to align a nematic liquid crystal 5CB, It is found that the pre-tilt angle of the liquid crystal can be controlled with the variation of the doped copper phthalocyanine molecular ratio and is correlated with the dichroic ratio of the aligning layer. The polarity of the aligning layer is regarded as the most likely underlying factor that causes the different LC alignment configurations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.

Synthesis of a series of chiral copolymers with azo groups and investigations of reversible liquid crystalline alignment induced by the LB films of these materials

A series of liquid crystalline copolymers, poly{2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate}-co-{6-[4-(S-2-methyl-1-butyloxycarbonylphenylazo)phenoxy]hexyl methacrylate} with an azobenzene moiety as photoreactive mesogenic unit, was prepared and investigated by using DSC, polarized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that these polymers exhibit smectic phases. Z-type Langmuir-Blodgett films of these copolymers were successfully deposited onto calcium fluoride and quartz. Reversible homeotropic and planar liquid crystal alignments were induced by using the photochromism of the LB films of one of the copolymers containing 20.6 mol % of the azo unit.

Alignment determination of symmetric top molecule using rotationally resolved LIF

This payer presents a concrete theoretical treatment which can be used for transforming the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) intensity into the population and alignment parameters of a symmetric top molecule, The molecular population and alignment are described by molecular state multipoles. The results are presented in a general excitation-detection geometry and then specialized in some special geometries. The problem how to extract the initial molecular state multipoles from the rotationally resolved LIF intensity is discussed in detail. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Tensor density matrix theory for determining population and alignment of symmetric top molecule using rotationally unresolved fluorescence

General expressions used for transforming raw laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) intensity into the population and alignment parameters of a symmetric top molecule are derived by employing the density matrix approach. The molecular population and alignment are described by molecular state multipoles. The results are presented for a general excitation-detection geometry and then applied to some special geometries. In general cases, the LIF intensity is a complex function of the initial molecular state multipoles, the dynamic factors and the excitation-detection geometrical factors. It contains a population and 14 alignment multipoles. How to extract all initial state multipoles from the rotationally unresolved emission LIF intensity is discussed in detail.

Theoretical study of determining orientation and alignment of symmetric top molecule using laser-induced fluorescence

General expressions used for extracting the orientation and alignment parameters of a symmetric top molecule from laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) intensity are derived by employing the density matrix approach. The molecular orientation and alignment are described by molecular state multipoles. Excitation and detection are circularly and linearly polarized lights, respectively. In general cases, the LIF intensity is a complex function of the initial molecular state multipoles, the dynamic factors and the excitation-detection geometrical factors. It contains a population, ten orientation and fourteen alignment multipoles. The problem of how to extract the initial molecular state multipoles from the resolved LIF intensity is discussed.

Theory for determining alignment parameters of symmetric top molecule using (n+1) LIF

Expressions used for extracting the population and alignment parameters of a symmetric top molecule from (n + 1) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) are derived by employing the tensor density matrix method. The molecular population and alignment are described by molecular state multipoles. The LIF intensity is a complex function of the initial molecular state multipoles, the dynamic factors, and the excitation-detection geometrical factors. The problem of how to extract the initial molecular state multipoles from (2 + 1) LIF, as an example, is discussed in detail. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)30744-9].