Novel epoxy-based azo polymers obtained by cationic polymerization: Synthesis, characterization and photoinduced birefringence

GUSTAVO F. ARENAS; PATRICIA A. OYANGUREN; ROMINA OLLIER; MARÍA J. GALANTE; WALTER F. SCHROEDER

Cancún

Simposio; XV Simposio Latinoamericano de Polímeros - SLAP 2016; 2016

Sociedad Polimérica de México (SPM)

Due to the reversible photoinduced trans-cis-trans isomerization of the azo chromophore, polymers containing azobenzene (azo polymers) have demonstrated unique photoresponsive properties.Photoinduced birefringence is one of the most interesting properties of azo polymers. Thus, azo polymers have potential applications in the fields of data-storage, optical sensors and optical switches. The photoresponse of these materials is affected by the mobility of the azobenzene groups in the polymer network. Recent studies of photo-orientation in amorphous polymers have demonstrated the role of Tg and polymer structural effects (main chain rigidity, the nature of the connection of the chromophore to the main chain, the free volume around the azo moiety) over the photo-induced anisotropy. Better optical responses are expected for materials with higher Tg. In this study, a novel cationically polymerized azo-modified epoxy network was synthesized. The chemical structure, thermal and optical properties of the resulting azo polymers were characterized.