Photochromic Materials and Photorefractive Materials Holographic Nanostructures in Azobenzene Polyesters
P.S. Ramanujam
Fabrication of surface relief structures in azobenzene polymers is reviewed. Irradiation of homo- and co-polyesters through a transmission mask with plane polarized and circularly polarized light at 488 nm have been performed. It is shown that for the liquid crystalline polyesters peaks are obtained in the irradiation areas, whereas for amorphous polyesters trenches are obtained. This clearly points to a mechanism based on an interaction between chromophores. Using multiple beam interference, holographic nanostructures are written in an azobenzene polyester. This may lead to the production of one-shot photonic band-gap materials for the visible.