Research Progress in Modulation of Molecular Alignment of Liquid Crystalline Polymers

Liquid crystals (LCs) are such a kind of important materials that influence our life, which are not limited to displays such as televisions and personal computers. Combined with photoresponsive properties, LCs can also enable to develop a great variety of applications in various fields, including flat panel displays, photonics, photo-driven devices, and more recent nanotechnology. LCs demonstrate special characteristics of both mobility of an isotropic liquid and ordered regularity of a crystalline solid, thus termed as intermediate phase. The unique features of LCs provide liquid crystalline materials with interesting properties such as ability to self-assembly, fluidity with long-range order, molecular cooperation motion, birefringence and anisotropy in physical properties (optical, mechanical and electrical), molecular alignment at surfaces induced by external fields, deformation of LC elastomers responding to certain stimuli. Responsive deformation of LC polymers (LCPs) with different alignment of molecules is reviewed. Perspective and further applications in the future of LCPs in the field of micro fluid and micro robot are discussed.