The well-defined photoresponsive polymethacrylate containing azo chromophore, poly{1'-octyloxy-4'-(6-methacryloxy)hexyloxy-5'-phenylmethaneone-(2-phenyl)azobenzene (AHMA)} (PAHMA), was preparedvia reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in anisole solution using 2-cyanoprop-2-yl 1-dithionaphthalate (CPDN) as the RAFT agent and 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as an initiator. Thekinetic plots of polymerization were first-order and the molecular weights (
Mn(GPC)s) of the homopolymer (PAHMA)with relatively low polydispersity index values (PDIs
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1.37) increased with monomer conversions throughoutthe polymerization processes. Furthermore, the kinetic plots of chain extension with both methyl methacrylate(MMA) and styrene (St) using the obtained PAHMA as a macro-RAFT agent were also first-order. The
Mn(GPC)sof the diblock copolymers, PAHMA-
b-PMMA and PAHMA-
b-PS, increased with the respective monomerconversions. These results indicated that most of the PAHMA chains were still "living". The structure and propertiesof the polymers were characterized by
1H NMR, GPC, and UV-vis spectra. The photoisomerization of the polymerwas examined. On irradiation with a linearly polarized Kr
+ laser beam, the birefringence was induced in thepolymer films to the level of 0.075. With illumination of linearly polarized Kr
+ laser beam at modest intensities(120 mW/cm
2), significant surface relief gratings (SRGs) formed on the polymer films were observed.