Optical modulation by micropatterned self-assembly of gold nanorods in liquid crystal polymers with photoalignment architectures

The long-range ordered alignment of nanorods achieved through cooperative self-assembly under liquid crystal induction provided a feasible approach for anisotropic optical modulation. Existing studies have often focused solely on the uniform alignment of nanorods in liquid crystal with the polarization-dependent absorption or emission effects, restricting the application of nanorods/liquid crystal composites in optical field manipulation. In this paper, gold nanorods (AuNRs) pixelated orientation in liquid crystal polymer at 10 μm scale was realized by using laser direct writing photoalignment, yielding a diffracted holographic image with polarization-dependent contrast. Besides, cycloidal alignment of AuNRs was realized by using holographic interference photoalignment, demonstrating achievable patterned resolution with an alignment periodicity of 1.8 μm.