A polyurethane-urea (PUU) containing azo chromophore, polyether polyol (NJ-220) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) was prepared. The structure, thermal property and mechanical properties of obtained PUU were characterized and measured by the UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The refractive index (n) of PUU was determined at different temperature and wavelength (532 nm, 650 nm and 850 nm) using attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique, and the thermo-optic coefficients (dn/dT) were -5.3643 x 10(-4) degrees C-1, -5.2500 x 10(-4) degrees C-1 and -4.6071 x 10(-4) degrees C-1, respectively. Using the Charge Coupled Device (CCD) digital imaging devices, transmission loss of PUU was measured and the value was 0.659 dB cm(-1). A 1 x 2 polymeric thermo-optic switch based on the thermo-optic effect of PUU film was proposed. With branching angle of 0.143 degrees and the finite difference beam propagation method (FD-BPM), the polymeric thermo-optic switch was simulated. The result showed that the power consumption of the thermo-optic switch could be only 0.72 mW, and the response time of the switch was about 3.0 ms. The obtained PUU has a significant improvement in reducing the power consumption and response time compared with those of the normal polymeric thermo-optic switches. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.