title: Photoisomerization Kinetics and Mechanical Stress in Azobenzene-Containing Materials.
abstract: Kinetics of photoisomerization and time evolution of ordering in azobenzene-containing materials are studied theoretically and by using computer simulations. Starting from kinetic equations of photoisomerization, we show that the influence of light is equivalent to the action of the effective potential, which reorients chromophores perpendicularly to polarization direction. The strength of the potential is defined by optical and viscous characteristics of the material. The potential generates photomechanical stress of giant values ∼GPa, in accordance with recent experimental findings for azobenzene materials deep in a glassy state. The proposed approach has a great predictive strength for deeper understanding and further development of the photocontrollable smart compounds.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung , Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany.|Institute of Macromolecular Compounds , Bolshoi prospect 31, 199004 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0885-9958
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Toshchevikov
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung , Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany.|Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine , Svientsitskii Street 1, 79011 Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1868-5648
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ilnytskyi
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung , Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saphiannikova