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Photodeformable Azobenzene-Containing Polyimide with Flexible Linkers and Molecular Alignment
Panpan Zhang1, Zhongxu Lan1, Jia Wei1
1Department of Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
ACS Macro Letters
|May 13, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a novel azobenzene-containing polyimide (azo-PI) that deforms under unpolarized light. The material exhibits fast, reversible bending with UV and visible light, demonstrating efficient photoinduced molecular motion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Photomechanics
Background:
- Azobenzene-containing polyimides (azo-PIs) are recognized for their photodeformable properties, combining photoresponse with high mechanical and thermal performance.
- Previous research on azo-PI photodeformation primarily utilized polarized blue-green light, relying on photoinduced reorientation of azobenzene moieties.
- A gap exists in exploring azo-PIs that respond to simpler, unpolarized light sources for photomechanical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and investigate a novel azo-PI capable of photodeformation using unpolarized light.
- To demonstrate fast and reversible bending behavior in response to alternating UV and visible light.
- To explore the material's performance in different thermal environments.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a specifically designed azobenzene-containing polyimide.
- Alignment of the azo-PI film using a hot-stretching process.
- Irradiation of the aligned film with alternating ultraviolet (UV) and visible (vis) light to induce photodeformation.
- Testing the photodeformation behavior in hot water and hot silicone oil under UV irradiation.
Main Results:
- The hot-stretched azo-PI film exhibited rapid and reversible bending upon alternate UV and visible light irradiation.
- This demonstrates efficient propagation of molecular deformation from the nano-level of azobenzene moieties to macroscopic material behavior.
- The aligned azo-PI film successfully underwent bending in hot water (80 °C) and hot silicone oil (100 and 120 °C) when exposed to UV light.
Conclusions:
- A novel azo-PI has been developed that responds to unpolarized light, simplifying potential applications.
- The material shows efficient and reversible photomechanical response, highlighting the effective nano-to-macroscopic motion transfer.
- The azo-PI's ability to deform in elevated temperature environments expands its potential for advanced functional materials.
