Curing temperature-dependent physicochemical reconstruction of strontium aluminum lanthanum oxide film for enhanced liquid crystal systems

A strontium-aluminum-lanthanum oxide (SrAlLaO) solution was prepared using the sol–gel method and brush-coated on ITO glass. The shear stress generated by brush coating aligns the SrAlLaO in one direction and creates a groove-shaped nanostructure. To confirm this, film surface analysis was conducted. The morphology of the surface was analyzed using atomic force microscopy, and the molecular composition of the surface was confirmed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. By measuring the optical transmittance, the applicability to optical devices was confirmed. Additionally, it was analyzed whether the SrAlLaO film in which the nanostructure occurred functions as an LC alignment layer. For analysis, polarized optical microscopy and pretilt angle measurement were used. The groove structure and LC alignment were confirmed in the SrAlLaO film cured at 280 °C. Graphical abstract