Polar Alignment in Spin-Coated Carbazole Main- and Side-Chain Polymer Films

A new method for preparing polar-aligned films, utilizing spin-coating without an electric field, is presented here. The technique was applied to a carbazole-based polymer with nitrostilbene chromophores as side groups. Phase measurements of second harmonic generation indicate that the chromophores are spontaneously aligned parallel to the direction of the centrifugal force (see Figure).