A new photochromic amorphous molecular material based on an azobenzene, BFlAB, has been designed and synthesized. BFlAB readily forms an amorphous glass with a glass-transition temperature of 97 °C and exhibits photochromism in the amorphous solid film as well as in solution. The BFlAB amorphous film forms a surface relief grating (see Figure) with a high diffraction efficiency and a large modulation depth by irradiation with two coherent 488 nm Ar+ laser beams.
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Nakano et al. (2002) studied this question.