Azo Polymer Janus Particles and Their Photoinduced, Symmetry-Breaking Deformation

We report the successful fabrication of photo responsive Janus particles (JPs) composed of a methacrylate-based azo polymer (PAZO-ADMA) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The JPs are obtained through microphase separation in a confined volume of the dispersed droplets, which incorporates the azo polymer and PMMA into one single particle in a core-compartmentalized manner. It is observed that several unique types of symmetry-breaking deformations are induced upon irradiation with a linearly polarized laser beam at 488 nm. The JPs with such properties are valuable for fundamental understanding and smart photofabrication in micrometer scale.