Chiroptical and optical thermoplastic acid sensors based on chiral methacrylic polymers containing azoaromatic moieties

We present here a preliminary report on the interaction between a new class of chiral azo-polymers with protic acids. The experiments have been carried out on amorphous thin films obtained by spin coating. The investigated polymers display reversible changes of their UV-vis spectra and chiroptical properties (evidenced by circular dichroism measurements) in response to external chemical stimuli, thus suggesting their potential use as ultrathin thermoplastic sensors. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.