Synthesis, Optical Property, and Simulation of Thermo-Optic Switch of Novel Azopolymer

A novel azopolymer polyurethane-urea (PUU) was synthesized from chromophore molecule 4-(4-nitrophenyl-alkenyl) phenyl-1,3-diamine, polyether polyol, and isophorone diisocyanate. The structure, mechanical property, and thermal property of PUU were characterized and measured. The refractive index and transmission loss of PUU was determined using ATR technique. A Y-branch polymeric thermo-optic switch was proposed and simulated. The result showed that the power consumption of the switch could be only 2.4 mW, and the response time of the switch could reach about 4 ms. It has a significant improvement in reducing the power consumption and response time of the Y-branch polymeric thermo-optic switches.