Search

By systematically varying the molecular structure of viologen, it was found that the asymmetry of the rigid core due to the position of the ionic sites has a significant influence on the formation of the low-order liquid-crystalline phases.

A photorefractive effect of mixtures of flexoelectric liquid-crystal (flex LC) was investigated and applied to laser ultrasonics. Mixtures of flex LC, composed of smectic-C liquid crystals, photoconductive chiral compounds, and a sensitizer, are demonstrated to exhibit a large photorefractive effect. The experiments of a two-beam mixing with a photorefractive flexoelectric liquid crystal (PR-flex LC) show that a gain coefficient was measured as 1400 cm–1 and a response time was 960 microseconds, both with an applied electric field of 2.0 V/µm. The large gain and fast response are advantageous for remote ultrasound detection by using two-beam mixing with PR-flex LC. This remote sensing method can be used to probe the internal structure of an object or to measure the thickness of a plate object. The experimental results of acoustic time-of-flight in an aluminum (Al) plate are presented by using an adaptive two-beam interferometer with a PR-flex LC. A 3-D surface topology is shown by using laser ultrasonics with 2-D scanning of a test Al plate. With a fast response time in PR-flex LC, the system is not affected by vibrations in an industrial environment.

The breath-figure method using the condensation of water droplets can easily fabricate regular porous films. Although the method is simple, the phenomenon itself requires the control of man...

We investigated the pitches of cholesteric liquid crystals prepared by mixing disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in water with 5 different water-soluble chiral additives. The measurements are based on the Grandjean-Cano wedge cell method. Overall, the twisting effect is weak, and the shortest pitch of 2.9 ± 0.2 μm is obtained using trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, by which the cholesteric sample is iridescent at certain viewing angles. Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FFTEM) was also performed for the first time on both the nematic and cholesteric phases, revealing that stacked chromonic aggregates are very long, up to a few hundred nm, which explains why cholesteric chromonic liquid crystals hardly have pitches in the visible wavelength region.

Effect of ferroelectricity on the photorefractive effect of ferroelectric liquid crystal blends was investigated. The photorefractive effect of ferroelectric liquid crystal blends strongly depend o...

The photorefractive effect can be used to generate rewritable holograms in a material, and it is utilized in various devices, including three-dimensional displays, optical tomography units, novelty filters, phase conjugate wave generators, and optical amplifiers. Ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) blends composed of a smectic liquid crystalline mixture, a chiral photoconductive dopant, and an electron trap reagent exhibit significant photorefractivity together with rapid responses. In previous studies, terthiophene derivatives were used as chiral photoconductive dopants and the resulting photorefractive effects were examined at 488 nm. In order to utilize the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystals in practical devices such as photoacoustic interferometers and ultrasound imaging units, the wavelength sensitivity of the material should be extended to longer regions. In the present work, chiral dopants possessing quarter-thiophene chromophores, sexithiophenes, and other photoconductive compounds with ...

A novel photodetachable adhesive was prepared using a photodepolymerizable cross-linked poly(olefin sulfone). A mixture of a cross-linkable poly(olefin sulfone), a cross-linking reagent, and a photobase generator functioned as a thermosetting adhesive and exhibited high adhesive strength on quartz plates comparable to that obtained for commercially available epoxy adhesives. The cured resin was stable in the absence of UV light irradiation but completely lost its adhesive strength upon exposure of glued quartz plates to UV light in conjunction with heating to 100 °C.

This study demonstrates that the bulk alignment of chromonic aggregates can be achieved during the swelling of hydrogels. Swelling of an ionic hydrogel immersed in an aqueous solution of disodium cromoglycate reorients the chromonic aggregates, and millimeter-thick optically anisotropic hydrogels are obtained. These anisotropic hydrogels contain the chromonic aggregates at a condensed concentration as high as in the columnar phase of a normal chromonic aqueous solution, although the X-ray diffraction results show much less stacking order and orientational order of the aggregates. Furthermore, anisotropic mechanical properties of the hydrogels are observed due to the anisotropic alignment of the chromonic aggregates.

Fabrication of regularly porous films by the breath-figure method has attracted much attention. The simple, low-cost technique uses the condensation of water droplets to produce these structures, but the phenomenon itself is complex, requiring control over many interacting parameters that change throughout the process. Developing a unified understanding for the molecular design of polymers to prepare ordered porous films is challenging, but required for further advancements. In this article, the effects of the chemical structure of polymers in the breath-figure technique were systematically explored using side-chain-type liquid-crystalline star polymers. The formation of porous films was affected by the structure of the polymers. Although the entire film surface of poly(11-[4-(4-cyanobiphenyl)oxy]undecyl methacrylate) (P11CB) had a hexagonal ordered porous structure over a certain Mn value, regularly arranged holes did not easily form in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), even though the main chain of PMMA...

The comprehensive mechanism of updatable holographic diffraction is presented for a monolithic compound of 3-[(4-nitrophenyl)azo]-9H-carbazole-9-ethanol (NACzE) dispersed poly(methyl methacrylate) film device. The maximum sensitivity occurs at 561 nm, which well coincides with an isosbestic point between cis-trans isomers of NACzE molecule. The holographic grating is ascribed to the absorption grating and the following refractive index grating due to the photo-orientation of NACzE molecules. The response and decay times for the diffraction are governed by the glass transition temperature of the matrix.

The photorefractive effect in ferroelectric liquid crystalline mixtures containing photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Ter-thiophene compounds with chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds, and they were mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the ferroelectric liquid crystals containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of over 1200 cm−1 and a fast response time of 1 ms. Real-time dynamic amplification of an optical image signal of over 30 fps using the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal was demonstrated.

Ferroelectric liquid crystal blends containing a photoconductive chiral dopant and an electron trap reagent exhibit a large photorefractivity and fast response. They can be utilized in dynamic amplification of moving optical signals. In the present study, the enhancement of working wavelength to a longer wavelength regions was investigated. A series of photoconductive chiral dopants was prepared and the photorefractive properties were examined.

Star polymers with sulfonyl groups in the central core were prepared by ATRP and the degradation of their cores was investigated. The core of the star polymer was efficiently and selectively decomposed by piperidine. Furthermore, the star polymer with mesogens in the side chain showed almost the same LC-isotropic phase transition temperature as the resulting degradation product, demonstrating the independence of polymer architecture on LC properties.

In this paper, we review recent progress of research on the photorefractive effect of ferroelectric liquid crystals. The photorefractive effect is a phenomenon that forms a dynamic hologram in a material. The interference of two laser beams in a photorefractive material establishes a refractive index grating. This phenomenon is applicable to a wide range of devices related to diffraction optics including 3D displays, optical amplification, optical tomography, novelty filters, and phase conjugate wave generators. Ferroelectric liquid crystals are considered as a candidate for practical photorefractive materials. A refractive index grating formation time of 8–10 ms and a large gain coefficient are easily obtained in photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystals.

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystals that contain photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Terthiophene compounds with chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds, and they were mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the ferroelectric liquid crystals containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of over 1200 cm−1 and a fast response time of 1 ms. Real-time dynamic amplification of an optical image signal of over 30 fps using the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal was demonstrated.

Photoinduced depolymerization of poly(olefin sulfone)s possessing photobase generators in the side-chain was investigated. Irradiation with UV light generated base on the side-chains and induced depolymerization based on proton abstraction on the main-chain. The effect of the length of the spacer chain, which connects the photobase-generating moiety to the polymer main chain on the photoinduced depolymerization, also was investigated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3873–3880

Photoinduced depolymerization of poly(olefin sulfone)s mixed with a photobase generating compound was investigated. Irradiation of 254 nm UV light to films comprising of a mixture of a photobase generating compound and poly(olefin sulfone)s with volatile monomers caused photoinduced depolymerization and the irradiated part of the film vaporized. The effect of the poly(olefin sulfone) structure on the photoinduced depolymerization process was investigated. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012

We prepared crosslinked azobenzene liquid-crystalline polymer brushes on flexible polymer films by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization and a subsequent crosslinking reaction. Reversible isomerization of azobenzene moieties was observed in the crosslinked films upon irradiation with UV and visible light. Upon exposure to linearly polarized UV light, the films bent slightly along the polarization direction of light toward an actinic light source. After turning off the UV light, the films maintained the bent shape, and then reverted to the initial form by irradiation with visible light. We have successfully developed a novel photomobile material with crosslinked azobenzene liquid-crystalline polymer brushes.

We proposed a new approach to fabricate bilayer films with a crosslinked azobenzene liquid-crystalline (LC) polymer. The polyethylene (PE) substrates were coated with linear azobenzene LC polymers, and then the azobenzene layers were crosslinked by irradiation with electron beams (EBs). In the EB-irradiated films with ordered azobenzene moieties, exposure to UV light caused trans-cis isomerization and the change in alignment of azobenzene moieties. Bending of the bilayer films could be induced toward an actinic light source when they were irradiated from the side of the azobenzene layer, while they bent away from the actinic light source upon UV irradiation from the side of the PE layer. In both cases, the bent films reverted to the initial flat state by turning off the light, which could be repeated at room temperature.

We studied the effects of concentration and location of azobenzene chromophores on the photoinduced deformation of crosslinked liquid-crystalline polymers (CLCPs). The concentration of azobenzene chromophores in CLCP affects the degree of isomerization of azobenzene moieties and the macroscopic deformation behaviour of the films while the location of azobenzene moieties determines the contraction force and length.

Two azobenzene-containing block copolymers with an oxyethylene (P1) or an alkyl (P2) spacer in the side chain were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Neither of the block copolymers with a low azobenzene content showed a liquid-crystalline phase. However, their glass transition temperatures (T gs) were lowered by introducing flexible spacers. In particular, T g was lowered by about 30°C in P1. Their photoalignment and holographic behavior was investigated at various temperatures in thin films. Rapid changes in refractive index were induced in the P1 films upon irradiation at a temperature below T g. But the photoinduced birefringence in the P1 film was lower than that in the P2 films. Similar results were obtained in holographic recording. The azobenzene-containing block copolymer with the oxyethylene spacer (P1) used in this study has potential application for dynamic hologram.

We prepared homogeneously aligned azobenzene liquid-crystalline elastomer (LCE) films with low T g and explored their photomechanical properties. Upon irradiation with UV light, the films bent toward a light source at room temperature. The mechanical force generated upon exposure to UV light was evaluated by thermomechanical analysis. It was found that the mechanical force generated by photo-irradiation increased with an increase in the cross-linking density. In particular, an LCE film containing 80 mol% azobenzene cross-linker produced a force of over 1 MPa by photo-irradiation, which enabled the film to lift an object 20 times heavier than itself. The degree of contraction by photo-irradiation increased with an increase in temperature and light intensity. Bending could be brought about by more than 5000 times with periodic irradiation. Furthermore, it was found that the LCE films exhibited bending and unbending behaviour by irradiation with sunlight.

A block copolymer containing an azobenzene (Az) moiety in the side chain was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). For comparison, a random copolymer with a similar Az content was also designed. Their photoresponsive and holographic behavior was investigated in thin films. The block copolymer film showed microphase separation with cylinder microdomains after annealing, which was then irradiated at 366 nm. It was found that trans-cis photoisomerization in the block copolymer film was slower than that in the random copolymer film. This may be due to the restricted motion of the Az moieties in the Az blocks. The photoinduced birefringence (Δn) of the block copolymer film was higher than that of the random copolymer film upon irradiation with a linearly polarized beam. In holographic recording, similar results were obtained. A block copolymer with 22-mol% Az showed a liquid-crystalline (LC) phase, while a random copolymer with 24-mol% Az exhibited no LC phase. The block copolymer showed an ...

To precisely control the first-order diffraction efficiency of holographic gratings recorded in an amphiphilic diblock liquid-crystalline copolymer P40A37, effect of recording time on grating formation and enhancement was studied systematically. Several parameters such as surface relief, the first-order diffraction efficiency, the maximum transmittance under an optical polarizing microscope and order parameters of grating samples were evaluated before and after annealing. Then the enhancement coefficient with recording time was estimated. The best enhancement effect was obtained at 10-s recording upon nano-scaled phase separation. By precisely adjusting the recording time, the diffraction efficiency of holographic gratings in P40A37 can be finely controlled from 0.13% to 10%.

A series of liquid-crystalline (LC) diblock copolymers with an azobenzene moiety in the side chain were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Using a bromo-terminated poly(methyl methacrylate) as a macroinitiator, the obtained diblock copolymers showed well-defined structures and narrow molecular-weight distributions. Microphase-separated nanostructures with mesogenic blocks in either continuous or separated phases were observed. Owing to varied content of mesogens in the block copolymers, they showed different behavior of photoinduced alignment and holographic recording. Block copolymers with azobenzenes in the majority phases exhibited a similar performance of photoinduced alignment and refractive-index modulation to the azobenzene-containing homopolymer, but their photoinduced mass transportation was partly suppressed by the microphase separation, leading to a lower surface relief than that of the homopolymer. The photoinduced mass transfer was greatly prohibited in the block copolym...

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystal blends containing photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Terthiophene compounds possessing chiral structures were mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal mixture. The blends exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the liquid crystal blends was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. The photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystal blends prepared in this study exhibited a large gain coefficient of over 1200 cm−1 and a fast response time shorter than 1 ms. Amplification of an moving optical image signal of over 30 fps using the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal was demonstrated.

The photorefractive effect in ferroelectric liquid crystalline mixtures containing photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Ter-thiophene compounds with chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds, and they were mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the ferroelectric liquid crystals containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of over 1200 cm-1 and a fast response time of 1 ms. Real-time dynamic amplification of an optical image signal of over 30 fps using the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal was demonstrated.

The composition of a crosslinked azobenzene liquid-crystalline polymer and a flexible polymer film can provide a variety of simple devices that can walk in one direction like an ‘inchworm’ and move like a ‘robotic arm’ induced by light.

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) that contain oligo-thiophene chiral compounds was investigated. Ter-thiophene and quarto-thiophene compounds with chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds and mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the FLCs containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of over 990 cm -1 and a fast response time of 1.7 ms.

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) that contain photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Terthiophene compounds with chiral structure were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds and mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixture exhibited the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase and photoconductivity. The photorefractivity of the mixture was investigated by two-beam coupling experiment. It was found that the FLC containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibits a large gain coefficient of over 800 cm−1 and a fast response time of 8 ms. The high photorefractive performance was considered to be due to enhanced charge mobility.

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) that contain photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. A series of novel photoconductive chiral compounds were synthesized. Terthiophene compounds with four chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds and mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the FLCs containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of 110 cm−1 and a fast response time of 5 ms.