Photosensitive Cholesteric Copolymers with Spiropyran-Containing Side Groups: Novel Materials for Optical Data Recording

The thermal and chemical reversibility of the photochromic process displayed by spiropyran (see Figure) is combined with the helical supramolecular architecture of a cholesteric polymer to produce a copolymer that can be used for reversible data recording on colored backgrounds. The cholesteric structure is able to reflect a broad spectrum of visible light, which should allow the realization of the special filters and reflectors required for complex multicolor optical display devices.