Effect of Disperse Red 1 Azobenzene Dye Doping and Annealing on the Thermomechanical and Photomechanical Properties of PMMA Fibers

Abstract

This work studies the effect of azobenzene dye Disperse Red 1 (DR1) doping and annealing on the thermomechanical and photomechanical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fibers. The mechanical properties are measured as a function of temperature, pump light intensity, and polarization. We find that doping with DR1 increases the stiffness and the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PMMA fibers. Moreover, annealing below Tg decreases Young’s modulus and increases Tg. Finally, the photothermal heating contribution to the photomechanical response and the length change during laser exposure are determined in both unannealed and annealed plain PMMA and DR1-doped PMMA fibers. We find that photothermal heating is the dominant mechanism and the effect of photoisomerization is negligible. The temperature-dependent photomechanical efficiencies are also determined.