Azopyridine side chain polymers: An efficient way to prepare photoactive liquid crystalline materials through self-assembly

A new strategy for the preparation of azo-containing liquid crystalline polymers is presented. A polymethacrylate bearing an azopyridine group in the side chain was synthesized for the first time. The amorphous azopyridine polymer can easily be converted into liquid crystalline polymers through self-assembly with a series of commercially available, aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids including the acetic acid. The measurement of photoinduced birefringence reveals that these complexes may have very different behaviors. The study thus shows that azopyridine side chain polymers combine the photoactivity of azobenzene polymers with the capability of self-assembly promoted by the pyridyl group, which offers a new and robust approach toward the preparation and exploitation of photoactive liquid crystalline materials.