We report on the characterization of an all optical switching effect that takes place when a UV light beam irradiates an azo-POLICRYPS diffraction grating. This high quality polymeric structure is utilized to confine and stabilize a well aligned nematic liquid crystal (NLC) film doped with a small percentage of azo-NLC molecules. The optical control of the grating diffraction efficiency is obtained by exploiting the photochemical phase transition between the nematic and the isotropic phases of the liquid crystal, based on the photoisomerization of the azobenzene guest molecules. The switch ON-OFF of the grating diffraction efficiency is triggered by a UV pump laser and is investigated by means of a low power red probe beam. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Full optical control of holographic gratings realized in composite materials containing photosensitive liquid crystals / De Sio, Luciano; Umeton, Cesare; Serak, Svetlana; Tabiryan, Nelson. - In: MOLECULAR CRYSTALS AND LIQUID CRYSTALS. - ISSN 1542-1406. - 526:1(2010), pp. 101-107. [10.1080/15421406.2010.485112]

Full optical control of holographic gratings realized in composite materials containing photosensitive liquid crystals

De Sio, Luciano
;
2010

Abstract

We report on the characterization of an all optical switching effect that takes place when a UV light beam irradiates an azo-POLICRYPS diffraction grating. This high quality polymeric structure is utilized to confine and stabilize a well aligned nematic liquid crystal (NLC) film doped with a small percentage of azo-NLC molecules. The optical control of the grating diffraction efficiency is obtained by exploiting the photochemical phase transition between the nematic and the isotropic phases of the liquid crystal, based on the photoisomerization of the azobenzene guest molecules. The switch ON-OFF of the grating diffraction efficiency is triggered by a UV pump laser and is investigated by means of a low power red probe beam. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
2010
diffraction gratings; liquid crystals; photosensitive materials; chemistry (all); materials science (all); condensed matter physics
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Full optical control of holographic gratings realized in composite materials containing photosensitive liquid crystals / De Sio, Luciano; Umeton, Cesare; Serak, Svetlana; Tabiryan, Nelson. - In: MOLECULAR CRYSTALS AND LIQUID CRYSTALS. - ISSN 1542-1406. - 526:1(2010), pp. 101-107. [10.1080/15421406.2010.485112]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1113342
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