This research demonstrates improved photoalignment in liquid crystals using azo-dyes, suggesting enhanced anchoring properties and materials applicability.
The known liquid crystal photoalignment mechanisms variety is not exhaustive. We introduce a completely new concept of photoalignment of liquid crystals, which explains formation of anisotropic interaction and provides deep understanding of physical mechanisms behind the alignment effect of photo-induced hole dipoles in thin films of azo-dyes. The self-consistency condition establishing in the wet dye film is locked through intermolecular coordination bonding in the dry film, which stabilizes the electrical field of molecular dipoles and allowing photo-induced hole dipoles. Advanced photoalignment materials with state-of-art properties of high photosensitivity, strong anchoring with no birefringence and high chemical compatibility are developed for application in Pancharatnam-Berry phase liquid crystal photonics and display devices based on the new concept of photoalignment.
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Muravsky et al. (2025) studied this question.
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