Polymer wall formation using liquid-crystal/polymer phase separation induced on patterned polyimide films

We could form lattice-shaped polymer walls in a liquid crystal (LC) layer through the thermal phase separation of an LC/polystyrene solution between substrates with polyimide films etched by short-wavelength ultraviolet irradiation using a photomask. The LC wetting difference between the polyimide and substrate surfaces caused the coalescence of growing LC droplets on patterned polyimide films with the progress of phase separation. Consequently, polymer walls were formed on Substrate surface areas without polyimide films. The shape of the polymer wall formed became sharp with the use of rubbed polyimide films because the nucleation of growing LC droplets concentrated on the patterned polyimide films. It is thought that the increase in the alignment order of LC molecules in the solution near the rubbed polyimide films promotes the formation of LC molecular aggregation, which becomes the growth nuclei of LC droplets.