Kinetic characterization of photoinduced anisotropy in diarylethene film

Based on the theoretical model we have proposed, a complete study on the kinetics of photoincluced anisotropy in diarylethene films is performed. The kinetic curves of molecular concentration, photoincluced dichroism and birefringence are calculated, respectively. It is found that the colored molecular concentration decreases with the increase of the excitation exposure until saturation, and the photoincluced anisotropy increases to a maximum and then decreases gradually. The optimal exposure is 260 J/cm(2). In addition, the transmittance of probe beam reflecting the anisotropy is measured by experiment. The theoretical results are compared with experimental data, and basic concordance is found between both sets of data. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.