Confinement effects on photoalignment. Azo-containing PS-b-PMMA films

M. F. CAMEZZANA; M. J. GALANTE; P. OYANGUREN; I. A. ZUCCHI

San José (Costa Rica)

Simposio; XII Simposio Latinoamericano de Polímeros, X Congreso Iberoamericano de Polímeros; 2010

It would be interesting to know how azobenzene polymers behave in a confined geometry with reference to the photoalignment property. Such a confining environment may be provided by self-organized nanodomains in diblock copolymers (DBC). If the guest is confined within a specific domain of a microstructured DBC due to immiscibility in the surrounding block component, the microstructure may further frustrate any reorientation and aggregation of the chromophore. We have investigated the growth and decay processes of the optically induced birefringence in Azo containing films of polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA).