Abstract: Side-group polymers whose permanently shape-anisotropic side groups carry lateral substituents are particularly suitable, owing to their excellent properties, for optical components which can be employed, in particular, in optical data storage and transfer.

Abstract: Flat materials made from a polymer with a backbone and side groups branching off the backbone (side group polymer), which polymer has the following structural features (1) to (3):(1) the side group polymer contains at least one photoinducibly configuration-changing side group;(2) the side group polymer contains at least one permanently conformationally anisotropic side group with high anisotropy of molecular polarisability which differs from (1);(3) the side group polymer contains flexible spacer groups between the backbone and the side groups (1) and (2);wherein the flat material in the glassy state of the side group polymers is optically isotropic, transparent, non-scattering and amorphous before irradiation and, after irradiation, is transparent and durably birefringent and dichroic due to a reversible, photoinduced alignment of the side groups (1) and (2) in the glassy state, may be purposefully modified in terms of their optical properties by the action of light.