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Opto‐Mechanical Effect in Photoactive Nematic Side‐Chain Liquid‐Crystalline Elastomers
Author(s) -
SánchezFerrer Antoni,
Merekalov Alexey,
Finkelmann Heino
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201100005
Subject(s) - azobenzene , liquid crystal , elastomer , side chain , materials science , isomerization , liquid crystalline , azo compound , photoisomerization , polymer chemistry , merocyanine , photochemistry , chemical engineering , composite material , polymer , photochromism , chemistry , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , engineering , catalysis
The mechanical behaviour of monodomain nematic side‐chain liquid‐crystalline elastomers containing azoderivatives as pendant groups or crosslinkers has been studied under UV irradiation and in the darkness at different temperatures. From the evaluation of the opto‐mechanical experiments, the mechanical efficiency, kinetic rates, activation energies and the isomerization mechanism of the azocompounds in the liquid‐crystalline matrix could be determined, as well as the effect of the chemical constitution of the azobenzene derivatives and their role in the elastomeric network.