A self-assembled polyimide layer based on graphene quantum dots for ultrafast switching of liquid crystals.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with a large specific surface area, wide emission spectrum, and low toxicity are advantageous for biomedical and optoelectronic applications. Here, we present a facile method to simultaneously provide ultrafast electro-optical switching and strong vertical anchoring of liquid crystals (LCs) using interfacial self-assembly between alkylated GQDs and polyimide (PI) layers in a closed LC device. The newly fabricated self-assembled PI layer with alkylated GQDs were simply fabricated by doping GQDs into the LC medium, and induced a stable and uniform homeotropic alignment of LCs. Moreover, this self-assembled layer provided a superfast switching speed for the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]