Light tunable azopolymers : Photomechanical phenomena and multifunctional materials

Abstract

Light tunable materials such as azobenzene-containing polymers are nowadays a promising way to achieve optical control of matter up to the nanoscale. In particular, the materials’ optical and mechanical responses can be tuned by controlling the spatial and temporal distribution of the projected light field, which allows to achieve precise, reversible manipulation, in real-time, of the materials’ response. The understanding of the photomechanical phenomena occurring in azopolymers will be discussed as well as their applications as multifunctional materials.