Alignment behavior of liquid-crystals on thin films of photosensitive polymers: Effects of photoreactive group and UV-exposure

Photosensitive polyimides containing cinnamoyl and coumarin side groups were synthesized in a high molecular weight, giving a good quality of films. Nematic liquid-crystal (LC) molecules on the film were aligned along the direction with an angle of 97–99° with respect to the polarization of ultraviolet (UV) light. The LC alignment was induced mainly by the photoaligned polymer chains made by the first UV-exposure even though the film was treated by multiple exposures with changing the polarization of UV light. From these results, it is concluded that the LC alignment on the film is induced by the photodimerization rather than the trans–cis photoisomerization.