Electrical behavior of nematic cells oriented by polypyrrole surface treatment

We have studied the electrical response of nematic liquid crystal cells with uniform planar alignment imposed by ClO(4)(-) doped polypyrrole layers. From the measured electrical current on a resistance in series with the nematic sample when applying a triangular potential with different periods and amplitudes, the diffusion of the ions from the polypyrrole layer into the liquid crystal was evidenced. The sample is described as an insulating liquid containing a distribution of ions depending on the characteristics of the applied external field and also of the polymer layers. A simple model concerning the diffusion of the ions from the aligning doped polypyrrole film inside the liquid crystal is proposed. The agreement between experimental data and numerical results is good