Effect of Molecular Structure and Thermal Treatment on Photo-optical Properties of Photochromic Azobenzene-containing Polymer Films

Three novel photochromic azobenzene‐containing comb‐shaped polyacrylates are synthesized and their phase behavior and photo‐optical properties are studied. The influence of the side photochromic group structure, thermal treatment, and light irradiation on aggregation of azobenzene chromophores in thin spin‐coated films of the polymers is investigated in detail. Special attention is paid to studying the photo‐orientation processes in polymers films induced by polarized blue light (473 nm). The relationship between the photochromic group architecture, phase behavior, thermal treatment of films, and kinetics of chromophore photo‐orientation is established and discussed. It is found that the position of the NN bond in chromophores plays an important role in the kinetics of the process, but does not affect the maximum value of dichroism. Novel photochromic azobenzene‐containing comb‐shaped polyacrylates are synthesized and studied. The correlation between photochromic moiety structure, phase behavior, thermal treatment of polymer films, and kinetics of chromophore photo‐orientation is established and discussed. A crucial role of the position of the NN bond in chromophores in the kinetics of the photo‐orientation processes is demonstrated.