the invention is directed to polymeric materials which undergo deformation upon exposure to actinic radiation . these polymeric materials contain at least one photoionizable group attached to a polymer backbone structure . typically , photoionizable groups can include n , n - dimethyl - p - phenylenediamine , tetrathiafulvalene , tetraselenafulvalene , ferrocene , tetrathiatetracene and leuco dyes such as leuco methyl violet . polymer backbone structures which can be used can be chosen from polyacrylics , polyglutamate , polyvinyl amine , polyvinyl alcohol , polystyrene and the like . films of these materials when exposed to actinic radiation display deformations with dilations of about 35 % in each dimension . they are useful for forming relief images for printing , three dimensional photography , photocopy , holographic information storage , information storage and actinometry .