Synthesis of P(FHEMA-co-MAZO-co-MAA)s copolymers and their redox and photo-responsive properties

Different copolymers (poly(2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl ferrocene carboxylate- co -methacrylo-4-aminoazobenzene- co -methacrylic acid)s) (P(FHEMA- co -MAZO- co -MAA)s) were synthesized and their different properties were analyzed in this work. Methacrylic acid was introduced as a side group to possibly affect the photostability. The synthesized copolymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Thermal studies were performed by thermogravimetric (TG), differential thermogravimetric (DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, which showed that the copolymers were thermally stable under the operating conditions of the information storage devices. Redox studies and photoresponsive studies were performed by CV technique and UV/vis spectroscopy which showed that these copolymers contained good redox and photoresponsive properties. The obtained results paved the way towards the four states information storage of the materials.