Photoresponsive Liquid Crystalline Copolymers Bearing a p-Methoxyazobenzene Moiety

摘要

Mesogenic and azo monomers were synthesized and copolymerized to obtain two copolymers composed of methacrylate and itaconate backbone. Glass transition temperatures of the copolymers were found to be slightly higher than ambient temperature. Both the copolymers showed liquid crystalline properties. Trans-cis isomerization in film state was observed under UV-irradiation with a light of 365 nm. Regarding the photochemical phase transition behavior, the transition rate of nematic-to-isotropic state was slightly faster in the methacrylate copolymer during irradiation at 365 nm and the rate of the reverse transition was much faster in itaconate copolymer under thermal effect.