Effect of heat on photoinduced birefringence in azobenzene-side-chain copolymer

Azobenzene polymers show large optical anisotropy, and one can control the optical anisotropy by changing the alignment of the molecules with light. Azo groups fall perpendicularly to the direction of the electric field vector of the linear polarized light by photoisomerization. This reorientation induces anisotropy and the difference of refractive index parallel and perpendicular to the irradiating laser polarization direction. In this paper, the photoinduced birefringence induced with 532 nm light in films of azobenzene polymer has been studied as a function of temperature, light intensity. From the evolution of the birefringence induced by laser, the temperature effects on photochemical trans-cis-trans isomerization cycles have been probed and analyzed. The effect of laser-induced heating has been introduced to the buildup of photoinduced birefringence in azobenzene-side-chain copolymer. The curves for the buildup of birefringence were fitted with a modified function, namely, biexponential curves and Gaussian curves. The relationship of each parameter has been also presented. With the modified fitting function, we obtained better fitting result.