Effects of Red and Green Laser Irradiations on the Optical Properties of an Azo-Containing Bent-Core Liquid Crystal

Abstract

With the ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, we have investigated the effects of red laser (633 nm) and green laser (532 nm) irradiations on the optical absorption of the ethyl alcohol solutions of an azo-containing bent-core liquid crystal. As the irradiation duration increases, the optical absorptions at about 360 nm of the bent-core compound exhibit concentration dependent and irradiation-time dependent features. The absorptions of dilute solutions (~2.2 mg/litter) are not sensitive to the laser irradiation duration whereas the absorptions of higher concentrations (~10 mg/litter) decrease as the laser irradiation continues. Our results have demonstrated that laser irradiation induced thermolysis is responsible for the dissociation of the azo-linkages in azo-containing bent-core compound. The mechanisms on the red and green light irradiations are discussed.