Journal
OPTICAL MATERIALS
Volume 35, Issue 6, Pages 1167-1172Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2013.01.007
Keywords
Heterocyclic azo dyes; Optical switching; Thermal cis-trans isomerization; PMMA; Molecular switches
Categories
Funding
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (Portugal)
- FEDER-COMPETE [PTDC/QUI/66251/2006 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007429), PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2011 (F-COMP-01-0124-FEDER-022716)]
- Castro [SFRH/BD/78037/2011]
- National Program for Scientific Re-equipment [REDE/1517/RMN/2005]
- POCI
- FCT
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A series of heterocyclic azo dyes were dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix and the photochromic properties of the coloured films studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Visible irradiation of the coloured films lead to a fast decrease in the colour intensity due to the trans-cis photoisomerization reaction. When the light source was removed the spontaneous thermal cis-trans reverse isomerization occurred bringing the absorbance back to initial value with variable speed. Contrary to common azobenzenes that after photoisomerization with UV or visible light exhibit very slow thermal cis-trans back reisomerization, that can last for hours or days, azo dyes bearing pyrrole, thiophene, thiazole or thiadiazole heterocycles display very fast switching between the two isomers (few seconds) even when dispersed in PMMA polymers. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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