液晶光控取向技术是一种通过偏振光照射来实现液晶取向的非接触式方法,不同于摩擦取向法,它具有无污染、无静电、易实现微区多畴取向等优点,因此引起了世界各地科研工作者的广泛关注。本文综述了液晶光控取向技术的研究现状和最新进展,简略地阐述了一些光控取向技术的基本原理以及液晶光控取向材料的工作机理。本文重点介绍了目前光控取向研究中比较新颖的一种光诱导偶氮染料取向的方法,并且从液晶光控取向在曲面及柔性基底、光数据处理及高空间分辨率的光处理系统、具有复杂几何图形取向的液晶光学元器件、3D光可擦写及铁电液晶显示器、光学滤光器和其他光控取向材料这六个方面列举了一些液晶光控取向技术的最新应用。

Photoalignment technology is a kind of contactless method of aligning liquid crystal by using polarized light. It possesses many advantages,e.g.,non-contamination,non-electrostatic charges,easy to realize multi-domain aligning even in a tiny fine area,and etc. Thus,it has attracted more and more attentions of the researchers all over the world. The review describes the status of the studies and the recent achievements in the field of photoalignment of liquid crystals,and it briefly illustrates the fundamental working principle of photoalignment technique and mechanisms of liquid crystal photoalignment materials. In particular,we concentrate on a recent approach of the photoinduced reorientation of azo-dyes,and some recent applications of photoalignment technology in aspects of (1) curved and flexible substrates,(2) optical data processing and high spatial resolution optical processing system,(3) liquid crystal optical elements with sophisticated geometric patterned alignment,(4) 3D ORW and ferroelectric liquid crystal displays,(5) optical filter and (6) other photoalignment materials,will be introduced.