Recent developments in aromatic azo polymers research

The photochemical and thermal cis to trans isomerization of aromatic azo groups covalently bonded within polymers and its practical consequences as well as some other recent applications are reviewed. The kinetics and mechanism of the isomerization of azo polymers are briefly presented and then several recent developments in azo polymers research are discussed. They include liquid crystallinity, nonlinear optical properties, monolayer assemblies and the light induced birefringence and dichroism. Some of the phase transitions of liquid crystalline azo polymers can be induced photochemically by the azo groups isomerization. Second order optical nonlinearity can be obtained in polymers with donor and acceptor substituted azo groups. Using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, azo polymer monolayers can be built and used as 'command surfaces' of liquid crystal films. The light induced birefringence is a reorientation phenonmenon which is a consequence of the trans-cis-trans isomerization. Future possible applications for a variety of practical devices, such as display devices, optical modulators, optical waveguides, holography, and reversible optical storage are mentioned. Azo polymers, Review, Optoelectronic and photonic applications