Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Investigation of the Electric-Field-Induced Reorientation of the Nematic 7CPB with Different Prealignment

Abstract

Time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) polarization spectroscopy was employed to study the electric-field-induced reorientation of nematic p-cyanophenyl- p-n-heptylbenzoate (7CPB) in the bulk of the cell and near (within 1 μm) the surface of the electrodes. The initial orientation of 7CPB on the germanium electrodes was varied in order to obtain information concerning the behavior of the liquid crystalline molecules in the boundary region. Model systems containing the 7CPB on rubbed polyimide and poly(vinyl alcohol), non-rubbed polyimide and poly(vinyl alcohol), and blank germanium were prepared and investigated.