Relationship between the Optical Properties of Immobilized Liquid-Crystalline Film and Polyimide Alignment Layer

The relationship between the molecular orientation of a rubbed polyimide film alignment layer and that of mesogens in liquid-crystalline (LC) films coated on the alignment layer before and after photopolymerization has been investigated using optical measurements. LC monomers were coated over the alignment layer and were aligned in one direction. The LC monomers were subsequently photocured. The inclination angle of the refractive index ellipsoid and the optical anisotropy of the immobilized LC film were found to be related to the optical properties of the rubbed polyimide films.