Self-assembled monolayers and multilayered stacks of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystalline dyes with in-plane orientational order

A simple method to create large areas of in-plane oriented molecular mono- and multilayers is presented. The method is based on layer-by-layer adsorpt ion of polyions and a lyotropic chromonic (nonamphiphilic) liquid crystal, which allows one to orient the molecules uniformly in the plane of depositi on. The long-range in-plane orientation of the chromonic molecules determin es the unique structural and optical properties of the films. Control of th e orientational order allows one to use the films as polarizers, alignment layers, optical compensators, retarders, filters, etc.