Optical anisotropy and four possible orientations of a nematic liquid crystal on the same film of a photochromic chiral smectic polymer

Spin coated films of a chiral comb-like liquid crystalline copolymer containing azobenzene chromophores in its side chains are optically isotropic in their twisted smectic-like glassy state. In contact with a nematic liquid crystal (5CB, E7, MBBA) they provide a degenerate planar orientation. When irradiated by unpolarized UV light, they orient the same nematics homeotropically. Treated with linearly polarized UV light they orient nematics homogeneously with the director along the electric vector of the exciting light. After a combined irradiation first with unpolarized UV light and then with linearly polarized visible light, the films again provide a homogeneous liquid crystal orientation, this time with the director perpendicular to the visible light electric vector. The phenomena observed are related to the light induced optical anisotropy. Two main processes are responsible for the anisotropy (1) a UV light depletion of trans-isomers of the azobenzene chromophores from the chosen direction and (2) a reorientation of the chromophores by polarized visible light.