Full Paper

Planar Alignment of Columnar Discotic Liquid Crystals by Isotropic Phase Dewetting on Chemically Patterned Surfaces

  1. Jonathan P. Bramble1,
  2. Daniel J. Tate2,
  3. Derek J. Revill1,
  4. Khizar H. Sheikh1,
  5. James R. Henderson1,
  6. Feng Liu3,
  7. Xiangbing Zeng3,
  8. Goran Ungar3,4,
  9. Richard J. Bushby2,
  10. Stephen D. Evans1,*

Article first published online: 22 FEB 2010

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.200902140

Issue

Advanced Functional Materials

Advanced Functional Materials

Volume 20, Issue 6, pages 914–920, March 24, 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Bramble, J. P., Tate, D. J., Revill, D. J., Sheikh, K. H., Henderson, J. R., Liu, F., Zeng, X., Ungar, G., Bushby, R. J. and Evans, S. D. (2010), Planar Alignment of Columnar Discotic Liquid Crystals by Isotropic Phase Dewetting on Chemically Patterned Surfaces. Adv. Funct. Mater., 20: 914–920. doi: 10.1002/adfm.200902140

Author Information

  1. 1

    Molecular and Nanoscale Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy University of Leeds Leeds, LS2 9JT (UK)

  2. 2

    Centre for Molecular Nanoscience (CMNS), School of Chemistry University of Leeds Leeds, LS2 9JT (UK)

  3. 3

    Department of Engineering Materials University of Sheffield Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD (UK)

  4. 4

    WCU Chemical Convergence for Energy and Environment, Bldg. 302 Seoul National University Seoul 151-744 (Korea)

*Molecular and Nanoscale Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy University of Leeds Leeds, LS2 9JT (UK).

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 MAR 2010
  2. Article first published online: 22 FEB 2010
  3. Manuscript Received: 13 NOV 2009

Funded by

  • EPSRC. Grant Numbers: GR/S59826/01, EP/G032726/1

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Keywords:

  • Liquid crystals;
  • Self-assembled monolayers;
  • Organic field-effect transistors

Abstract

A novel method of creating planar aligned columnar discotic liquid crystals (cDLCs) on surfaces, which also gives control over the azimuthal angle, is presented. Surfaces are chemically patterned with stripes via microcontact printing of organothiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold, or via deep UV patterning of organosilane SAMs on silicon. These are then used to isolate long droplets of cDLCs by dewetting in the isotropic phase. Upon cooling from the isotropic into the hexagonal columnar phase, polarizing microscopy reveals that the cDLC aligns in a planar orientation. Results for three triphenylene derivatives (HAT-6, HHTT, H7T) and for a phthalocyanine derivative (8H2Pc) are presented. H7T and HAT-6 are found to align with the director perpendicular to the stripe direction, but HHTT and 8H2Pc align parallel to the stripe direction. This relatively simple new method for creating planar aligned columnar phases of DLCs gives control over the azimuthal angle: a condition required for organic field-effect transistor applications of cDLCs.

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