title: ESR and optical study of photo-orientation in azobenzene-containing liquid-crystalline polymer.
abstract: We report a comprehensive experimental study of photoinduced processes in azobenzene-containing liquid-crystalline polymer. The kinetic and optical characteristics of the photoisomerization reaction and photo-orientation process have been determined. The spin probe technique has been used to elucidate the details of orientation order and rotational mobility of molecular fragments within the liquid-crystalline polymer. The evolution of orientation order parameters <P2>, <P4>, and <P6> in the course of photoinduced ordering of the material as well as the change of liquid-crystalline domain sizes have been studied quantitatively. The obtained experimental results are compared with the predictions of the existing models of photo-orientation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University , 119991, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexey V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Bogdanov
authors.forename: Andrey Kh
authors.initials: AKh
authors.lastname: Vorobiev