Supermolecular alignment in a liquid crystal–polymer gel as studied optically and by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy

Abstract

Macroscopically aligned liquid crystal (LC) gels have been prepared by photopolymerization in visible light of a non-mesogenic bifunctional monomer in a conventional LC mixture that was prealigned in an electric field. A high degree of molecular orientation is achieved in the gel, and it is stable with time, as shown by polarized optical microscopy and broad-band dielectric relaxation spectroscopy.