The aliphatic spacer length connected to the rigid mesogenic cores is shown to control the structural organization and mechanical actuation in response to light-stimulus in azobenzene-functionalized liquid crystalline polymers networks. The spacer lengths in the mesogenic host (non-photochromic) and in the photo-active azobenzene-functionalized cross linker are parametrically varied to create monodomain liquid crystalline samples. A suite of thermomechanical, photomechanical and structural characterization is used to characterize the binary co-polymers. The photomechanical responses are compared by calculating a figure-of-merit – Photocompliance (Cp). This parameter, Cp, which characterizes the incremental strain generated in response to unit intensity of irradiation (W/cm²), is found to correlate strongly with the S_xray order parameter and the D-spacings. We show that compact (smaller D) and higher ordering of the mesogens that result in copolymers with longer flexible spacers manifest greater photomechanical activity.

连接到刚性介晶核的脂族间隔基长度显示出可控制结构组织和机械驱动，以响应偶氮苯官能化液晶聚合物网络中的光刺激。介晶主体（非光致变色）和光活性偶氮苯官能化的交联剂中的间隔基长度可以参数化地变化以产生单畴液晶样品。使用一组热力学，光力学和结构表征来表征二元共聚物。通过计算品质因数-光电顺应性（Cp）比较光机械响应。此参数Cp表征响应于单位照射强度（W / cm ²）与S _x射线阶数参数和D间距密切相关。我们表明，致密的（较小的D）和更高的有序度导致了具有更长的柔性间隔基的共聚物表现出更大的光机械活性。