Photoresponsive behavior of hydrophilic/hydrophobic-based novel azobenzene mesogens: synthesis, characterization and their application in optical storage devices

Abstract

isomerization occurred at around 590 min, which had the highest alkoxy chain and no hydroxyl group on their head group. The absence of a hydroxyl group on the terminal head group resulted in slow thermal back relaxation, whereas the hydroxyl group-bearing head group showed fast thermal back relaxation. These results suggest that the influence of the substituent on the cationic ammonium head group and alkoxy chain length on the photoisomerization of the azo compounds is vital for optical storage devices. Furthermore, the device fabricated using these materials demonstrated that they are excellent candidates for optical image storage applications.