Studies on the E7 liquid crystal orientations confined to perfluorinated carboxylic acid-treated cylindrical cavities of Anodisc membranes by FTIR spectroscopy

The orientation of E7 liquid crystal (LC) confined within 200 nm diameter cylindrical cavities of Anodisc membranes are investigated by FTIR dichroism techniques. The cavity walls of the confining pores were chemically modified with different length perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PCAs, C _n F_2n+1COOH, n = 3, 4, 5, 6) at 1, 3 and 5 mM concentrations. From the FTIR spectra of PCA-treated alumina Anodsic membranes, we found salt formation between the -COOH group of the PCAs and the Anodisc membranes. From the FTIR spectra of LC-filled Anodisc membranes, we found an abrupt alignment direction change, from parallel to perpendicular, of the LC molecules along the long axis of the cavities between n = 4 and n = 5 for the 1 mM concentration of PCA. However, for the 5 mM concentration of PCA, the parallel-to-perpendicular alignment direction of LC molecules changed between n = 3 and n = 4. These LC orientation changes for PCA-treated Anodisc membranes occurred at shorter length than for hydrocarbon carboxylic acid (HCA, C _n H_2n+1COOH)-treated Anodisc membranes. This change may be caused by the lower surface energy of the -(CF₂) _n CF₃ chain of PCA than that of the -(CH₂) _n CH₃ chain of HCA.