Photoresponsive poly(malonic esters) and their applications to optical memory media

POLY 154

Yang-Kyoo Han, ykhan@email.hanyang.ac.kr and Min-Jeong Lee. Department of Chemistry, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang Dong, Sungdong Gu, Seoul, 133-791, South Korea
We synthesized photo-responsive azo polymers from novel malonic ester monomers having two symmetrical azobenzene groups in the side chain. The possibility of their applications as reversible data storage media was investigated utilizing optical data recording techniques. As a result, the azo polymers had very excellent stability and resolution of the stored data as well as the sensitivity to pump beam. The polymeric thin films also could be used as erasable digital data materials for a practical use by an Ar ion pulse laser (pulse width: 10 microsecond). In addition, the polymeric thick films obatined from new monomer and methyl methacrylate was obseved to be a promising medium for holographic memory systems by using a two wave mixing technique.