Light-induced circular birefringence in cyanoazobenzene side-chain liquid-crystalline polyester films
Open Access
- 1 January 1999
- journal article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics
- Vol. 1 (4) , 438-441
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1464-4258/1/4/303
Abstract
We report the inducement of large circular birefringence (optical activity) in films of a cyanoazobenzene side-chain liquid-crystalline polyester on illumination with circularly polarized light. The polyester has no chiral groups and is initially isotropic. The induced optical rotation is up to 5° µm-1 at 633 nm and three to four times larger at 488 nm. The effect is explained through photoinduced changes in the structure of the polymer films due to reorientation of the rod-like chromophores and angular momentum transfer from the circularly polarized light to the azobenzene side chains.Keywords
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