Molecular orientation of a photoreactive liquid crystalline polymer induced by thermal nanoimprinting and graphoepitaxy

• We evaluate molecular orientation of photoreactive liquid crystalline polymer P6CAM.
• Thermal nanoimprinting and graphoepitaxy were used to align P6CAM.
• P6CAM was reoriented parallel to the line in both processes.
• Thermal nanoimprinting strongly induced P6CAM orientation compared to graphoepitaxy.

Molecular orientation in photoreactive liquid crystals (LCs) can be induced by linearly polarized ultraviolet light and heat. Thermal nanoimprinting has similarities to graphoepitaxy, including using patterned substrates and heating. Diffraction efficiencies were measured to compare the molecular orientation of the photoreactive LC polymer P6CAM induced by thermal nanoimprinting, with that induced by graphoepitaxy. P6CAM was reoriented by graphoepitaxy, but the degree of orientation was much smaller than that induced by thermal nanoimprinting.

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