Molecular alignment of liquid crystals using infrared light is presented as a viable alternative to UV-vis irradiation. In this technique, a free electron laser (FEL) is used to vibrationally excite the columnar mesophase of the triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystal HHOT. Upon FEL irradiation the microscopic texture of the HHOT film changes (see Figure), associated with a change in the alignment of the columns.
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Monobe et al. (2000) studied this question.