Surface Screening Layers and Dynamics of Energy Transfer in Photosensitive Polymer-Liquid Crystal Structures

• Published in: Molecular crystals and liquid crystals (Philadelphia, Pa. : 2003) Vol. 446; no. 1; pp. 261 - 272
• Main Authors: Dyadyusha, Andriy, Kaczmarek, Malgosia, Gilchrist, Graham
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01.04.2006
• Subjects: nematic liquid crystals; photoconductive polymers; surface-charge field; two-beam coupling
• ISSN: 1542-1406; 1563-5287
• DOI: 10.1080/15421400500379731

The dynamics of energy transfer in photoconductive polymer liquid crystal structures can contain important information on interface effects and surface electric fields contributing to the strength of liquid crystal reorientation gratings. The characteristic, transient effects observed during switching on and off of incident light or electric field can be explained by the presence of surface screening layers. Screening layers play an important role in the reorientation of liquid crystal director in cells with different alignment layers. Strong screening of external DC field is present not only in cells with a photoconductive polymer (56 V), but in standard cells with thicker (0.3 μm) polyimide, aligning layers.