セルロース系光機能性材料の開発の試み

Abstract

General examples of optically functional polymers are shortly reviewed, and then our investigations on development of cellulosic optically functional materials are described. Photoresponsive behaviors of cellulose p-phenylazobenzoate (AB-cellulose) as a photoresponsive material, which is reversibly isomerized under photoirradiation, are investigated and its swelling ability, contact angle with water, and formation of liquid crystalline phase are found to be controlled reversibly under irradiation with UV and visible lights, and optical resolution of amino acids appears to be also controlled in the thin layer chromatography using AB-cellulose as an adsorbent. Photoreactive behaviors of cellulose cinnamate as a photoreactive materials, in which the photoreaction is irreversible, are investigated and intermolecular cross-linking, fixation of liquid crystalline structure, and increase in physical strength of the cellulose cinnamate under irradiation with UV light are confirmed. Cellulose has some excellent inherent properties and is expected to be a raw material for development of new fuctional materials.