Improvement of Liquid Crystal Alignment Using Novel Photo-Activators

Photo-activator is a kind of additive that can improve the anchoring energy by attacking some of the bonds of polyimide (PI). Photo-activators were synthesized from the reaction of cyclohexanone oxime with three different anhydrides, respectively. Each activator generates different active radicals when irradiated. These fragmented and activated radicals are responsible for the liquid crystal (LC) alignment of PI film. The reactivity was confirmed through UV-Visible spectroscopy. All the three photo-activators had characteristic bimodal-shaped absorption peaks at 270∼280 nm. The photofragmentation reactions were completed within 1 min of UV irradiation, which implies that the activators are highly reactive to UV light. The short reaction time is very useful for liquid crystal display (LCD) factory applications. The photo-activator using crotonic anhydride (CAP) showed the highest surface anchoring energy, of 6.92 × 10-5 J/m2, compared to that of the other activators and that obtained by rubbing methods; (1.11 × 10-5 J/m2). This result was obtained due to resonance stabilization from the allyl radicals of CAP. The photo-activator using acetic anhydride (AAP) reached its maximum anchoring energy in less than 3 min of irradiation, which is the shortest optimum irradiation time. Considering the fact that this process does not require additional procedure and time, the photo-activators can be considered an innovate additive.