A. Fritz et al., Relationship of photochemical and dynamic behavior of an amorphous photochromic polymer containing azobenzene moieties in the side group, MACRO SYMP, 154, 2000, pp. 127-138
An amorphous copolymer with photochromic azobenzene moieties in the side ch
ain is investigated by UV/Vis and real time dielectric spectroscopy. The ai
m of this study is to monitor both the reversible E/Z isomerization of the
dyes and the influence of the photoreaction onto the matrix. The change of
the absorbance and of the dielectric function is measured for the E/Z and t
he Z/E isomerization. To compare the results model functions are fitted to
the measured data and the obtained parameters compared for both experiments
. So a correlation between the two spectroscopic methods is established. Th
is analysis leads to a model of the molecular mechanism which is based on e
xcess free volume generated by the photoreaction.