This paper introduces anisotropic nickel yttrium oxide (NYO) film formed by the brush coating technique. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed well-formed NYO film after the curing process, and the morphology of the surface was investigated using atomic force microscopy. The shear stress driven from brush hair movements caused the nano/micro-grooved anisotropic surface structure of NYO. This anisotropic surface induced uniform liquid crystal (LC) alignment on the surface, which was confirmed by pre-tilt angle analysis and polarized optical microscopy. The contact angle measurements revealed an increase in hydrophilicity at higher temperature curing, which contributed to homogenous LC alignment. The NYO film achieved good optical transmittance and thermal stability as an LC alignment layer. In addition, the film demonstrated good electro-optical properties, stable switching, and significantly enhanced operating voltage performance in a twisted-nematic LC system. Therefore, we expect that this brush coating method can be applied to various inorganic materials to achieve an advanced LC alignment layer.
Liquid crystal (LC) orientation films are one of the key technologies in display devices. Currently, the commonly used polyimide rubbing method exposes problems such as micro‐defects and static electricity. In this paper, a thin film was prepared from a mixture of UV‐curable polymer and NiO solution using the UV‐NIL method. At room temperature, all three temperatures showed good liquid crystal alignment properties. However, in terms of thermal stability, it was more thermally stable in the 1‐min sample. This means that the formation of patterns has a significant impact on orientation properties, and the change in van der Waals force due to chemical changes also affects the orientation properties to some extent. In addition, excellent electro‐optical properties were also confirmed.
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