Patterning and Photosensitive Polymers
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2014) | Viewed by 27803
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Azobenzene-containing photosensitive films are intriguing multi-component systems that consist of polymer matrices modified with azobenzene groups. Under UV-irradiation, the azobenzene can undergo a reversible photo-isomerization from a trans- to a cis- state. This transition alters not only the physico-chemical properties of the azobenzene molecules themselves, but can also trigger a mechanical response within the polymer matrix the azobenzenes are embedded in.
The azobenzene-modified polymers play an important role in modern photonic, electronic, and opto-mechanical applications. They are successfully used to produce a variety of materials for reversible and irreversible micro- and nano-patterning, microlens arrays, plasmonic sensors, light-driven artificial muscles, and light-powered electrical switches. One key phenomenon, common to many applications, is the formation of so-called surface relief gratings (SRG) upon irradiation with an interference pattern. The resulting deformation patterns of the polymer films correspond with the irradiation’s variation of intensity or polarization, and occur at room temperature when azobenzene polymers are supposed to be in a glassy, solid state. The physical origin of this phenomenon has yet to be fully elucidated, and microscopic theories need to be devised that can connect to larger length scales.
This Special Issue aims at reviewing the current state-of-the-art concerning photosensitive azobenzene-containing polymer films, and at developing perspectives for future directions of research. The subjects to be addressed include: theories concerning azobenzene-containing polymers, photosensitive polymer brushes, photosensitive thin polymer films, the patterning of photosensitive polymers, the interaction of surface plasmons with photosensitive polymer films, the application of photosensitive polymer films, etc.
Prof. Dr. Svetlana Santer
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- azobenzene-containing polymer films
- photosensitive polymer brushes
- surface relief grating
- photo-alignment and photo-deformation
- sub-diffraction patterning
- computer modeling of photo-induced effects
- theoretical approaches to photo-patterning
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