Abstract
We report on both polar and nonpolar light-induced orientation of a polyimide of high glass transition temperature (Tg ≈ 210 °C) with nonlinear optical azo dye molecules in the side chain. This photoinduced orientation is shown to occur at room temperature, i.e., at least 190 °C below the Tg value of the polymer, which indicates that the photoisomerization-induced movement of the nonlinear optical chromophores induces, in turn, a movement of the polyimide main chain. This allows for an efficient orientation of the dye molecules in spite of the stiffness of the polyimide main chain. A nonpolar orientation is induced by polarized light irradiation alone, whereas polar orientation is achieved by application of a dc field during the photoisomerization process. Further light irradiation in the absence of a dc field destroys the previously induced stable polar order. A detailed theoretical study of this light-induced depoling process is also presented.
© 1996 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Zouheir Sekkat, Jonathan Wood, Wolfgang Knoll, Willi Volksen, Robert D. Miller, and André Knoesen
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14(4) 829-833 (1997)
Zouheir Sekkat, Philippe Prêtre, André Knoesen, Willie Volksen, Victor Y. Lee, Robert D. Miller, Jonathan Wood, and Wolfgang Knoll
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15(1) 401-413 (1998)
Zouheir Sekkat and Wolfgang Knoll
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12(10) 1855-1867 (1995)