Abstract
Photo-induced isomerization between trans and cis isomers is the basis of azobenzene-based photoactive materials. In this work, isomerization and phase behavior of azobenzenes is studied theoretically, by means of a thermodynamically consistent kinetic expression for isomerization, in terms of activity and not concentration. As a consequence, nematic ordering is predicted to increase the rate of cis-to-trans isomerization, an effect not captured by previous models. Photo-induced phase transitions as a function of temperature and under irradiation are analyzed. Two regimes of nematic phase are found, for trans-saturated systems (high temperature), and cis-saturated systems (low temperature). For intermediate irradiation intensities there is a re-entrant isotropic phase between both nematic regimes.
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