OPTICALLY ACTIVE METHACRYLIC POLYMER CONTAINING SIDE-CHAIN AZOCARBAZOLE CHROMOPHORES AS MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

There is a considerable interest in the synthesis and characterization of polymers containing azoaromatic moieties due to their unique optical properties[1]. These materials can be used in advanced micro- and nanotechnologies such as optical data storage[2], nonlinear optical materials[3], holographic memories[4], chiroptical switches[5], surface relief gratings[6], inscription of channel waveguides[7], etc. Since the discovery of the photorefractive effect in organic polymers[8], carbazole containing polymers[9] have also attracted much attention because of their photoconductivity. Multicomponent polymers with structural units containing both photoconductive and electrooptic functionalities in the side-chain can be regarded as suitable materials for photorefractive applications[10]. On the other hand, an intense interest has currently arisen toward investigations dealing with the amplification of chirality of polymeric materials, in solution as well as in the solid state[11]. In this context, a new optically active photochromic polymethacrylate containing the azocarbazole moiety, deriving from the chiral monomer (S)-(4-cyanophenyl)-[3-[9-[2-(2-methacryloyloxypropanoyloxy) ethyl]carbazolyl]]diazene [(S)-MLECA] [12] has been prepared and fully characterized with the aim to obtain a multifunctional material which can be considered at the same time as a photonic material for NLO and optical storage, for chiroptical switches, and for photorefractive and photoconductive applications.