In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization

Chiral‐nematic liquid‐crystal (N* LC) polymer films with uniaxially controlled helical‐axis alignments have attracted increasing attention for developing next‐generation materials with promising mechanical, optical, and electronic properties. These functionalities in N* LC polymer films can be reali...

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Main Authors: Yuki Shikata, Shohei Sugiyama, Kohsuke Matsumoto, Kyohei Hisano, Osamu Tsutsumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2025-04-01
Series:Small Structures
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400458
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author Yuki Shikata
Shohei Sugiyama
Kohsuke Matsumoto
Kyohei Hisano
Osamu Tsutsumi
author_facet Yuki Shikata
Shohei Sugiyama
Kohsuke Matsumoto
Kyohei Hisano
Osamu Tsutsumi
author_sort Yuki Shikata
collection DOAJ
description Chiral‐nematic liquid‐crystal (N* LC) polymer films with uniaxially controlled helical‐axis alignments have attracted increasing attention for developing next‐generation materials with promising mechanical, optical, and electronic properties. These functionalities in N* LC polymer films can be realized by controlling their helical‐axis alignment. However, achieving precise control over helical‐axis alignment in polymer films remains challenging. This study presents a simple and effective method for controlling uniaxial helical‐axis alignment in polymer films through photogradient polymerization. This approach induces a direction‐controlled isotropic‐to‐N* LC phase transition driven by a polymer concentration gradient, resulting in uniaxial helical‐axis alignment along the phase transition direction. The proposed method offers valuable insights for the facile fabrication of N* LC polymer films with controlled helical‐axis alignments.
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id doaj-art-6a8f7a6f15c24400a855fa8585c1f6da
institution DOAJ
issn 2688-4062
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publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Wiley-VCH
record_format Article
series Small Structures
spelling doaj-art-6a8f7a6f15c24400a855fa8585c1f6da2025-08-20T03:08:50ZengWiley-VCHSmall Structures2688-40622025-04-0164n/an/a10.1002/sstr.202400458In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient PolymerizationYuki Shikata0Shohei Sugiyama1Kohsuke Matsumoto2Kyohei Hisano3Osamu Tsutsumi4Department of Applied Chemistry Ritsumeikan University 1‐1‐1 Nojihigashi Kusatsu 525‐8577 JapanDepartment of Applied Chemistry Ritsumeikan University 1‐1‐1 Nojihigashi Kusatsu 525‐8577 JapanDepartment of Applied Chemistry Ritsumeikan University 1‐1‐1 Nojihigashi Kusatsu 525‐8577 JapanDepartment of Applied Chemistry Ritsumeikan University 1‐1‐1 Nojihigashi Kusatsu 525‐8577 JapanDepartment of Applied Chemistry Ritsumeikan University 1‐1‐1 Nojihigashi Kusatsu 525‐8577 JapanChiral‐nematic liquid‐crystal (N* LC) polymer films with uniaxially controlled helical‐axis alignments have attracted increasing attention for developing next‐generation materials with promising mechanical, optical, and electronic properties. These functionalities in N* LC polymer films can be realized by controlling their helical‐axis alignment. However, achieving precise control over helical‐axis alignment in polymer films remains challenging. This study presents a simple and effective method for controlling uniaxial helical‐axis alignment in polymer films through photogradient polymerization. This approach induces a direction‐controlled isotropic‐to‐N* LC phase transition driven by a polymer concentration gradient, resulting in uniaxial helical‐axis alignment along the phase transition direction. The proposed method offers valuable insights for the facile fabrication of N* LC polymer films with controlled helical‐axis alignments.https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400458chiral‐nematic liquid crystalshelical‐axis alignmentsphotopolymerizations
spellingShingle Yuki Shikata
Shohei Sugiyama
Kohsuke Matsumoto
Kyohei Hisano
Osamu Tsutsumi
In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization
Small Structures
chiral‐nematic liquid crystals
helical‐axis alignments
photopolymerizations
title In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization
title_full In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization
title_fullStr In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization
title_full_unstemmed In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization
title_short In‐Plane Uniaxial Helical‐Axis Alignment in Chiral‐Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Films Using Photogradient Polymerization
title_sort in plane uniaxial helical axis alignment in chiral nematic liquid crystal polymer films using photogradient polymerization
topic chiral‐nematic liquid crystals
helical‐axis alignments
photopolymerizations
url https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400458
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