Photo-responsive multi-bilayered film consisting of azobenzene polymer liquid crystals (PAzo) and polyvinylalcohol (PVA) was prepared on a glass substrate by spin coating of the polymer solutions alternately. The reflectivity of the multi-bilayered film disappeared by annealing at 80 °C. The disappearance of the reflection by the annealing was related to the thermal out-of-plane molecular orientation of PAzo even in the multi-bilayered film, leading to a very small difference in refractive indices between PAzo and PVA. The reflectance of the multi-bilayered film was increased again by UV irradiation because of the transformation from the out-of-plane orientation to the in-plane random orientation, resulting in the restoration of difference in the refractive indices. In this way, the on-off switching of the reflection was achieved by combination of the thermally spontaneous out-of-plane molecular orientation and following photoisomerization of PAzo comprising the multi-bilayered film.

Date Published: 7 September 2011
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8114, Liquid Crystals XV, 81140J (7 September 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.892061

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8114:
Liquid Crystals XV
Iam Choon Khoo, Editor(s)