Anchoring and gliding of easy axis of 5CB on photoaligning PVCN-F surface

The photoaligning properties of the popular photoaligning material polyvinyl-4(fluorocinnamate) (PVCN-F) are presented. The aligning quality and azimuthal and zenithal anchoring energy were measured and the drift of the easy orientation axis (gliding effect) on the PVCN-F surface, depending on UV exposure, was studied. Special attention is paid to unraveling the contribution of the adsorption liquid-crystal molecules onto the aligning surface to the anchoring properties of PVCN-F and measuring the drift of the easy orientation axis over the PVCN-F surface. It is shown that a relatively weak azimuthal anchoring energy (W-az approximate to 10(-7)-10(-5) J/m(2)) leads to strong drift of the easy axis in the azimuthal plane that was observed in a moderate (similar to 0.1-0.3 T) magnetic field. A much stronger polar anchoring (W-zen approximate to 10(-4) J/m(2)) allowed us to observe the essential gliding of the easy axis in the zenithal plane in a rather strong electric field (similar to 5 V/mu m).