Novel polyesters with amino-sulfone azobenzene chromophores in the main chain

✍ Scribed by Zu-Sheng Xu; Vahé Drnoyan; Almeria Natansohn; Paul Rochon

• Book ID: 101274078
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 186 KB
• Volume: 38
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0887-624X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0518(20000615)38:12<2245::aid-pola130>3.0.co;2-u

✦ Synopsis

The synthesis and optical properties of a series of amorphous polyesters with amino-sulfone azobenzene chromophores in the main chain are presented. The condensation of alkyl diacid chlorides with 4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylamino]-4Ј-(2-hydroxyethylsulfonyl)azobenzene ( 7) gave polymers that showed low and unstable photoinduced birefringence because of their low glass-transition temperature. The condensation of 7 with mixtures of adipoyl chloride and terephthaloyl chloride gave a polymer with a higher glass-transition temperature and a stable reversible photoinduced birefringence. A photostationary birefringence of 0.07 was observed. Surface profile gratings were optically inscribed and produced diffraction efficiencies less than or equal to 19%. Photostationary, long-term stable birefringence and surface-grating efficiency increased with polymer rigidity.