New photoresponsive (meth)acrylate (co)polymers containing azobenzene pendant sidegroups with carboxylic and dimethylamino substituents .2. Synthesis and characterization of polymers and copolymers

The title (co)polymers, used for our investigations on their photoresponsive behaviour were obtained by free radical (co)polymerization. The monomer was either an acrylate or a methacrylate to which an azobenzene group, modified with a para-placed dimethylamino or a carboxylic pendant group, was attached with or without an aliphatic spacer. The acrylates were copolymerized with methylacrylate (MA) as comonomer, methacrylates with methylmethacrylate (MMA). The (co)polymerization conditions, the characterization of the synthesized (co)polymers and the results of kinetic experiments on some of the homopolymerizations are presented. In the latter we have found deviations from normal radical polymerization kinetics, which may be attributed to aggregation of the monomers. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd