Abstract
The photo-Fries reaction of aryl esters provides a mechanism for the stimulation of a selective photoinduced structural rearrangement. We demonstrate that, in a side-chain liquid-crystal polymer containing 20% 4-methoxyphenyl cinnamate and 80% 4-cyanophenyl benzoate mesogens, photoinduced phase depressions may be achieved by selective irradiation of the cinnamate esters. When only the photo-Fries process is activated, by irradiation in dilute solution, subsequent phase depressions as high as 60–70°C are observed. In the liquid-crystalline state, other photoprocesses, including crosslinking, tend to predominate over the photo-Fries reaction and inhibit large-scale rearrangement, and hence rather limited phase transition shifts are observed.
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