Photoinduced orientation of liquid crystalline copolymer films containing 4-oxybenzoic acid side groups and photo-cross-linkable mesogenic side groups

The cooperative molecular reorientation in methacrylate copolymer films with hexamethylene spacer groups terminated with 4-oxybenzoic acid (BA) and 4-(4-methoxycinnamoyloxy)biphenyl (MCB) in their side chains was investigated by irradiating with linearly polarized ultraviolet light (LPUV) and subsequent annealing. A high degree of cooperative in-plane reorientation of both the BA and MCB groups was obtained when the composition of the BA groups was greater than 50 mol% and hydrogen (H)-bonded LC mesogenic dimers of BA molecules existed. On the other hand, the molecular reorientation was restricted when the BA groups did not form H-bonds. It was clarified that the amount of axis-selectively photoreacted MCB groups and the H-bonds of the BA groups that exhibit a LC nature play important roles in the thermally enhanced molecular reorientation.