Photoorientation of a liquid crystalline polyester with azobenzene side groups. 1. Effects of irradiation with linearly polarized blue light

The photoorientation process in a polyester with 4-cyano-4‘-alkoxyazobenzene side group and long methylene spacers in the side and the main-chain was studied as a function of irradiation with linearly polarized light of 488 nm under systematic variation of the power density and temperature. This model polymer is characterized by liquid crystallinity (g 24 SX 26 SA 34 n 47 i) and a strong aggregation tendency. The photoorientation is cooperative, i.e., the orientation of the photochromic side group induces the alignment of the ester unit (which is a part of the main-chain) and both methylene segments in the side- and main-chain. The very high values of the normalized linear dichroism up to 0.8 and the birefringence (above 0.3) are due to the interaction of photoorientation and thermotropic self-organization. The induction of anisotropy shows a pronounced dependence on the power density and the working temperature. This is related to the thermal properties of the LC polymer and the resulting ordering behavi...