Photoinduced Reorientation and Polarized Fluorescence of a Photoalignable Liquid Crystalline Polymer

Thermally stimulated photoinduced reorientation of liquid crystalline (LC) polymethacrylate composed of a phenyl benzoate mesogen connected with N-benzylideneaniline (NBA2) end moiety exhibits a significant molecular reorientation (D > 0.7) when the film is exposed to linearly polarized 313 nm light and subsequently annealed in the LC temperature range of the material. Hydrolysis of the NBA2 end moieties yields an oriented mesogen with phenylamine moieties without distorting the oriented structure. In situ condensation of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde derivatives and phenylamine moieties yields oriented N-salicylideneaniline side groups. The resultant film displays a polarized fluorescence with a polarization ratio up to 3.4.