Surface-assisted unidirectional orientation of ZnO nanorods hybridized with nematic liquid crystals

Inorganic semiconductor nanorods are regarded as the primary components of optical and electrical nanoscale devices. In this paper, we demonstrate the unidirectional alignment of monolayered and dispersed ZnO nanorods on a rubbed polyimide alignment layer, which was achieved by a conventional liquid crystal alignment technique. The outermost surfaces of the ZnO nanorods (average diameter 7 nm; length 50 nm) were modified by polymerization initiator moieties, and nematic liquid crystalline (LC) methacrylate polymers were grown by atom transfer radical polymerization. By regulating the densities of the polymerization initiator moieties, we successfully hybridized LC-polymer-grafted ZnO nanorods and small nematic LC molecules. The LC-polymer-modified ZnO nanorods were hierarchically aligned on the substrate via cooperative molecular interactions among the liquid crystal mesogens, which induced molecular orientation on the rubbed polyimide alignment layer.