Fluorine‐substituted azobenzene destabilizes polar form of optically switchable fulgimide unit in copolymer system

Fulgimide and various size and electronic nature of substituents on the terminal position of azobenzene in the pendant homo/copolymethacrylates were synthesized. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicates the homopolymer possessing C‐form fulgimide unit exhibited higher T_m than that of E‐form of the homopolymer and revealed C‐form is highly ordered. Thermal stability suggests azobenzene homopolymers with electron donating substituents have high thermal stability than electron withdrawing substituents. Polarized optical microscopy observation disclosed homopolymers viz., NI, CY, FL, ME , and T‐ME exhibited liquid crystalline mesophases between their T_m and T_i. Optical properties of homo/copolymers were investigated by UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. UV–vis spectroscopy displayed C‐form fulgimide absorption in F‐co‐FL around 482 nm which is around 40 nm lesser than C‐form of substituted azobenzene copolymers. Similarly, fluorescence pattern of F‐co‐FL by UV irradiation exhibited emission intensity slowly increased to certain level then decreases with two new emissions at 430 and 480 nm attributed to terminal position of fluorine atom on azobenzene destabilizes polar form (C‐form) fulgimide unit in the copolymer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1565–1578, 2010