Liquid-Crystalline Polymer Holograms for High-Density Optical Storage and Photomechanical Analysis

We report linear and crosslinked azobenzene containing liquid-crystalline polymers which can be applied to high-density optical storage and photomechanical analysis. We introduced a molecular design concept of multicomponent systems composed of photoresponse, refactive-index change amplification, and transparency units. Taking advantage of characteristics of liquid crystals (optical anisotropy and cooperative motion), polarization holograms were recorded, which enabled us higher-density holographic storage. On the other hand, crosslinked liquid-crystalline azobenzene polymer films were fabricated to investigate the photomechanical behavior. We have found that a large change in Young's modulus is induced by several mol%-cis form production. Furthermore, a unique bending behavior, which cannot be explained by the conventional bending mechanism, was observed in the crosslinked liquid-crystalline polymer films with azobenzene in the side chain.