Mechanically Tunable Diffraction Gratings Recorded on an Azobenzene Elastomer

摘要

Azobenzene-containing polymers have generated much interest because of their potential applications in holographic recording and other (e.g., guiding) photonic devices. The efficient photoisomerization of azobenzene chromophores is at the origin of the attractive properties of these polymers. Studies reported so far have been focused mainly on two categories of azobenzene polymers: amorphous and side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (SCLCPs). An azobenzene polymer network has also been used to optically induce and stabilize the alignment of low-molar-mass liquid crystals. Recently, we have grafted SCLCP-bearing azobenzene mesogens onto a styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) triblock copolymer.