Optically and spatially templated polymer architectures were formed by photopolymerizing reactive mesogens (RMs) in periodically deformed liquid crystals (LCs). Without using lithographic or holographic implements, various polymer patterns could be produced by employing nematic LCs as reaction solvents and spatially nonuniform electric fields with patterned electrodes. The mechanism underlying the observed elastic energy-driven templated phase separation was determined by performing numerical computations of the director field and associated elastic energy. The spatial patterns coincided precisely with the profiles of highly deformed regions, and optical patterns were templated by the local director of the reaction medium. The proposed method provides versatility in forming organized polymer architectures for functional materials requiring both positional and orientational order for their application.
- Vijay Kumar Baliyan
- Seung Hee Lee
- Shin-Woong Kang
