A bifunctional amorphous polymer exhibiting equal linear and circular photoinduced birefringences

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Azo-compounds exhibit photoinduced linear and circular birefringence, crucial for optical applications.
• Typically, circular birefringence is significantly lower than linear birefringence due to differing molecular orientational processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize an amorphous polymer with a dimeric repeating unit containing cyanoazobenzene and cyanobiphenyl moieties.
• To investigate the induction of identical optical linear and circular birefringences in the synthesized polymer.
• To explore the potential of this polymer in smart functional devices.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of an amorphous polymer with a specific dimeric repeating unit.
• Pump-probe spectroscopy to investigate photoinduced effects.
• Stokes-Mueller formalism for evaluating optical anisotropies.

Main Results:

• The synthesized polymer demonstrated identical photoinduced linear and circular birefringences.
• The induction of birefringence was dependent on light dose and ellipticity.
• The polymer exhibits a peculiar and controllable photoresponse.

Conclusions:

• The developed amorphous polymer shows promise for advanced optical applications.
• The ability to induce equal linear and circular birefringence is a significant advancement.
• This material is a strong candidate for use in smart functional devices.