Electro-optical characteristics for the photoaligned vertical alignment cell using photopolymer surfaces containing chalconyl and cholesterly groups

A new photoalignment material, copoly(4-methacryloyloxychaIcone-cholesteryl methacrylate) (copoly(M4Ch-ChMA)), was synthesized and the electro-optical characteristics for the photo-aligned vertically aligned (VA) liquid cryst al display (LCD) were studied. Excellent voltage-transmittance characterist ics were achieved for the photoaligned VA-LCD with 1 min polarized UV expos ure at an oblique direction of 30 degrees on the copoly(M4Ch-ChMA) surfaces . The response time of the VA-LCD was about 39 ms, and increased with incre asing UV exposure time. We suggest that the proportion of photodimerized ch alcone group increased with increasing UV exposure time. contributing to a higher response time.