Optically controlled photoresponsive polymer materials
PHORMAT-consortium

Kaivola Matti, Aalto University (School of Science and Technology), Kauranen Martti, TUT, Ras Robin, Aalto University (School of Science and Technology), Toivonen Juha, TUT


The PHORMAT project deals with fundamental light-matter interactions in polymeric composite materials containing photoswitchable organic chromophores. Our goal is to locally control, assemble, and pattern the materials at the nanoscale. The proposed research topics address several timely and relevant issues that can significantly contribute to the basic understanding of the physical phenomena involved, and potentially have a number of applications in future photonic components and devices.

We plan to systematically study the plasmon-based manipulation and enhancement of light-induced processes in azobenzene-containing polymer-metal nanoparticle composites, and in polymer films prepared on substrates containing surface-mounted metal nanostructures. We will investigate how the strong local fields associated with plasmonic resonances can enhance the photoinduced anisotropy, all-optical poling, and inscription of surface-relief gratings in azobenzene-containing polymers.

We will also examine the applicability of conceptually novel writing geometries and the linear and nonlinear response of azobenzene-containing polymers to specific polarization configurations and evanescent fields, with the aim of demonstrating new functionalities and concepts for photonic devices. On the other hand, we will optically control and direct the self-assembly of supramolecular azobenzene block copolymer complexes to obtain uniform macroscopic ordering of the block copolymer domains. Supramolecular concepts enable facile removal of the azobenzene molecules after the domains are optically oriented, resulting in ordered functional nanostructures that can be further used as templates to shape other materials.
Finally, we will make use of the photoswitching function in combination with concepts developed in stimulated emission depletion microscopy to optically pattern photoresists with nanoscale resolution.