Synthesis of Polyazobenzenes Exhibiting Photoisomerization and Liquid Crystallinity.

While only a few studies have investigated the synthesis of main chain-type polyazobenzenes, they continue to draw an increasing amount of attention owing to their industrial applications in holography, dyes, and functional adhesives. In this study, dibromoazobenzene was prepared as a monomer for constructing azo-based π-conjugated polymers. Miyaura⁻Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization was conducted to develop copolymers containing an azobenzene unit as a photoisomerization block and a pyrimidine-based liquid crystal generator block.