Molecular glasses azobenzene-based

Azobenzene-containing materials can be classified into two groups polymer-based systems and molecular glasses. Azobenzene chromophore units, which are the optically addressable moiety, can be incorporated into polymer systems in several ways, as is schematically illustrated in Fig. 3. 

Molecular glasses can be envisioned for the same applications as photoad-dressable polymers, but they have been studied far less extensively. It has been demonstrated that photoinduced birefringence can also be generated in thin films of azobenzene-based molecular glasses [54-58], Like homopolymers, they form SRGs in addition to gratings in the volume when illuminated with two interfering laser beams. 

Fig. 10 Structures of the azobenzene-based molecular glasses 2-4 with two, three, and four azobenzene moieties...

Fig. 21 Chemical structures of azobenzene-containing molecular glasses 9a-e based on tripheny-lamine and their glass transition temperatures...

Tanino T, Yoshikawa S, Ujike T, Nagahama D, Moriwaki K, Takahashi T, Kotani Y, Nakano H, Shirota Y. 2007. Creation of azobenzene based photochromic amorphous molecular materials synthesis, glass forming properties, and photochromic response. J Mater Chem 17 4953 4963. 

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