title: Photodegradation of azobenzene-based self-assembled monolayers characterized by in-plane birefringence.
abstract: Azobenzene-based self-assembled monolayers (azo-SAMs) are photoactive and become orientationally ordered when illuminated with linearly polarized light (LPL), making them attractive as dynamic alignment layers in liquid crystal cells. Azo-SAMs, however, are chemically unstable when exposed to both air and light. We have characterized the photodegradation of a methyl red-based SAM by measuring with a high-sensitivity polarimeter the optical anisotropy induced by illumination with linearly polarized actinic light after the sample is irradiated with circularly polarized light (CPL) in air. The number of unbleached, photoactive molecules in the SAM decays exponentially with CPL exposure time, lowering the reorientation rate during photowriting with LPL. Azo-SAMs in an argon atmosphere, in contrast, are chemically stable and remain photoactive even after exposure to CPL.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Guanjiu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Maclennan
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Walba
authors.forename: Noel A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010316:Particle Size; D010782:Photolysis; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; C009850:azobenzene