Nano-engineering of the anchoring of liquid crystals on solid surfaces

The solid surface in the conventional liquid crystal displays, being responsible for the liquid crystal alignment in the absence of external fields, is playing only a passive role in the switching of the liquid crystal layer. Recently, we have shown that the anchoring strength and the easy axis, two important parameters characterizing the liquid crystal alignment, can effectively be controlled by light via photo-induced nano-scale changes of the solid surface properties. We have also introduced two novel concepts of commanded anchoring, the electrically commanded surfaces (for mediating switching of the liquid crystal) and the high performance alignment layers (for facilitating the switching of the liquid crystal) realized practically by means of a proper nano-engineering of the alignment layer. Electrically commanded anchoring concepts are strong candidates for implementation in a new generation of advanced liquid crystal displays and devices.