Nanoparticle-mediated Polyimide for Pretilt Angle Control of Liquid Crystals Devices

Abstract

The pretilt angles theta(p) of liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by using conventional polyimide alignment (PI) material doped with different concentrations of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsequioxanes (POSS) nanoparticle. The addition of POSS in the homogenous PI changes the surface energy of the PI and generates the variable Op. Experimental results demonstrate that Op is a function of the POSS concentration, and it can be controlled over the range of 0 degrees < theta(p) < 90 degrees.