Aggregation in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of azopolymers and its role for optically induced birefringence
Aggregation in azopolymers is reported to affect the Langmuir monolayer characteristics and the optically induced birefringence of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films from DR19 isophorone polyurethane (PIPDI) and DR19 4,4´ diphenylmethane polyurethane (PMDI). In mixed monolayers with cadmium stearate (CdSt), the folding of PMDI molecules appears to be substantially changed compared to the monolayer of the pure polymer, leading to a surface potential that is higher than observed for monolayers of pure PMDI and of pure CdSt. UV-Vis spectroscopy data of the deposited mixed LB films indicate H-type aggregation for PMDI/CdSt, in contrast to PIPDI/CdSt and other azopolymers investigated earlier. The H-type aggregation precludes photoisomerization, thus requiring a higher laser power for the maximum induced birefringence to be achieved in LB films of PMDI/CdSt.