PHOTOCHEMICAL CONTROL OF SWITCHING BEHAVIORS OF FERROELECTRIC POLYMERLIQUID-CRYSTALS - POLY(2-METHYLBUTYL 4'-(10-ACRYLOYLOXYDECYLOXY)BIPHENYL-4-CARBOXYLATE)

Switching behaviors of ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal (FPLC), po ly(2-methylbutyl '-(10-acryloyloxydecyloxy)biphenyl-4-carboxylate), we re successfully modulated reversibly by photochemical reaction of phot ochromic guests (azobenzene derivatives) doped in the FPLC. Chiral azo benzene (AB(chi)) possessing the same structure as the host FPLC at th e chiral part was found to enhance the transmitted light intensity thr ough a pair of crossed polarizers on the trans to cis photoisomerizati on, while the other achiral azobenzene derivatives reduced the transmi tted light intensity on photoisomerization. This difference in photore sponsiveness has been attributed to the different effect of the trans- cis photoisomerization on the host mesogens, the change in molecular s hape for the achiral azobenzenes and the change in dipole moment for A B(chi).