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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
Molecular model for light-driven spiral mass transport in azopolymer films
Antonio Ambrosio1, Pasqualino Maddalena2, Lorenzo Marrucci2
1CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy.
Abstract:
Azopolymer films exposed to nonuniform illumination exhibit a phenomenon of light-induced mass transport, leading to the formation of permanent relief patterns on the film surface. Its underlying microscopic mechanism remains unclear, despite many years of research effort. Here we introduce a model of the mass migration process based on anisotropic light-driven molecular diffusion. A key ingredient of our model is an enhanced molecular diffusion in proximity of the free polymer surface, which is essential for explaining, in particular, the recently observed spiral-shaped reliefs resulting from vortex-beam illumination.
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