Design, Synthesis and Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties of Azobenzene-Based Polysiloxanes

To study the effect of polymeric structures on second-order nonlinear optical properties, polysiloxanes materials based on azobenzene as chromophore have been designed and synthesized successfully. Herein, the siloxane monomer is directly bonded to azobenzene units by palladium catalysis, which avoids the influence of flexible chains on the photoelectric properties of azobenzene. According to the different positions of azobenzene units in the polymers, it is divided into side-chain, main-chain, and alternative-type polymers. The chemical structures of obtained polysiloxanes are confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and mass spectra. Three polymers present high thermal decomposition temperatures and the medium glass transition temperatures. The effects of polymeric structures on the second-order nonlinear properties are compared. The main-chain polysiloxane possesses the highest thermal stability because of its rigid architecture. The side-chain polysiloxane shows the fastest isomerization transformation rate due to the large free volume. Besides, the alternative polysiloxane displays the best second-order nonlinear performance with second harmonic generation coefficient (d33 ) value of 47.6 pm V-1 , which is 3 times higher than the side-chain one.

Construction of a simple crosslinking system and its influence on the poling efficiency and oriental stability of organic electro-optic materials

A new fluorinated polycarbonate was synthesized by solution polymerization of bisphenol AF, anthracen-9-ylmethyl-4,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentanoate with triphosgene. This new polycarbonate was used as a host polymer. A traditional chromophore with a D–π–A structure was modified by bisphenol A acrylate affording chromophore A. The large modified group can not only effectively avoid the dipole interaction between chromophores, but also endow the chromophores with the properties of attaching and crosslinking with a host polymer through in situ Diels–Alder “click chemistry” reactions. Such properties can improve both the poling efficiency and the thermal stability of organic electro-optic (EO) polymers. The thermodynamic properties of the crosslinking system showed that the glass transition temperature rose with the increase of the chromophore content. The EO polymer showed a large EO coefficient of about 78.9 pm V⁻¹ at a wavelength of 1310 nm and an excellent long-term stability of about 89% with respect to its initial value and it can be kept after 300 h of heating at 80 °C.

A new fluorinated polycarbonate was synthesized by solution polymerization of bisphenol AF, anthracen-9-ylmethyl-4,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentanoate with triphosgene.

Molecular Engineering of Structurally Diverse Dendrimers with Large Electro-Optic Activities

To boost electro-optic (EO) performance, a series of multichromophore dendrimers have been developed based on higher hyperpolarizability (CLD-type) chromophore cores that have been used previously (FTC-type dendrimers). The multichromophore dendrimers were molecularly engineered to have either three arms, two arms, or one arm; long or short linkers; and a fluorinated dendron (FD) or tert-butyldiphenylsilyl (TBDPS) shell. The EO performance obtained by FDSD (poling efficiency = 1.60 nm² V^-2), based on succinic diester linkers, was higher than the analogue with longer adipic diester linkers and higher than the analogs with fewer chromophore moieties. Due to the shorter succinic diester linker and improved site isolation, the dendrimer chromophore with TBDPS groups exhibited enhanced glass-transition temperature ( T_g = 108 °C) and comparable poling efficiency (1.62 nm² V^-2) to the FD-containing version. These neat EO dendrimers have a higher index of refraction ( n = 1.75-1.84 at 1310 nm) than guest-host polymeric EO materials ( n ≈ 1.6, 1310 nm) and FTC-type EO dendrimers ( n = 1.73, 1310 nm), which is important, because a key metric for Mach-Zehnder modulators is proportional to n³. In addition, binary chromophore organic glasses (BCOGs) were prepared by doping a secondary EO chromophore at 25 wt % into neat dendrimers. Enhancements of EO performance were found in all BCOG materials compared with neat dendrimers due to the effect of blending. As a result of increased chromophore density, the n values of the BCOGs improved to 1.81-1.92. One BOCG, in particular, displayed the highest poling efficiency (2.35 nm² V^-2) and largest EO coefficient ( r₃₃) value of 275 pm V^-1 at 1310 nm, which represents a high n³ r₃₃ figure-of-merit of 1946 pm V^-1. The high poling efficiencies and n³ r₃₃ figure-of-merit combined with excellent film forming confirm these neat dendrimers and BCOGs based on them as promising candidates for incorporation into photonic devices.

Synthesis, structural characterization and computational study of NLO-responsive chromophores and second-order coefficients of thermally crosslinked polymers

The HOMO and LUMO structures of compounds 2, 4 and 6 with their band gap values.

Photo-crosslinkable second-order nonlinear optical polymer: facile synthesis and enhanced NLO thermostability

A new photo-crosslinkable second-order nonlinear optical system was designed and prepared by azido-yne and the thiol–ene click reactions.

Structure–property analysis of julolidine-based nonlinear optical chromophores for the optimization of microscopic and macroscopic nonlinearity

A structure–property relation investigation revealed that the theoretical hyperpolarizability and experimental solvatochromism were more reliable in julolidine-based nonlinear optical chromophore design.

Preparation of Main-Chain Polymers Based on Novel Monomers with D-π-A Structure for Application in Organic Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Materials with Good Long-Term Stability

Main-chain nonlinear optical polymers based on novel chromophores with special structures presented good solubility in most of the organic solvents. Polymers PE-1 and PE-2 attained the thermal decomposition temperatures of 305 and 223 °C and glass transition temperatures of 113 and 108 °C, and exhibited only negligible decay in the SHG signal baked at 85 °C over hundreds of hours, respectively. The SHG coefficients of poled films from polymers PE-1 and PE-2 were 26.3 and 35.8 pm/V, respectively. These results indicated that this class of polymers can be used in the preparation of organic electro-optic devices.

A series of dendronized hyperbranched polymers with dendritic chromophore moieties in the periphery: convenient synthesis and large nonlinear optical effects

Excellent optical transparency and NLO coefficients were achieved by introducing dendritic chromophore moieties to the periphery of dendronized hyperbranched polymers.

Metal-cladding directly defined active integrated optical waveguide device based on erbium-containing polymer

The Er-containing polymer is synthesized by free-radical polymerization. Based on the copolymer, metal-cladding directly defined waveguide technique is proposed. The technique is advantageous to realize the multi-functional integrated circuits.

Research of the optimum molar ratio between guest and host chromophores in binary chromophore systems for excellent electro-optic activity

A series of binary chromophore systems were designed and prepared. The optimum molar ratio (OMR) between guest and host chromophores was first systematically explored in the BCSs. When at the OMR, there is the biggest EO coefficient growth rate.

Main chain dendronized hyperbranched polymers: convenient synthesis and good second-order nonlinear optical performance

By using low generation dendrimers as macromonomers, two main chain dendronized hyperbranched polymers, with good comprehensive nonlinear optical performance, were prepared conveniently with satisfying yields through a one-pot “A₃ + B₂” approach.

Facile bromine-termination of nonlinear optical chromophore: remarkable optimization in photophysical properties, surface morphology and electro-optic activity

This paper describes how a small molecular structure modification can enhance the microscopic and macroscopic properties of chromophore.

Quantum Nonlinear Optics with Polar J-Aggregates in Microcavities

We predict that an ensemble of organic dye molecules with permanent electric dipole moments embedded in a microcavity can lead to strong optical nonlinearities at the single-photon level. The strong long-range electrostatic interaction between chromophores due to their permanent dipoles introduces the desired nonlinearity of the light-matter coupling in the microcavity. We develop a semiclassical model to obtain the absorption spectra of a weak probe field under the influence of strong exciton-photon coupling with the cavity field. Using realistic parameters, we demonstrate that a cavity field with an average photon number near unity can significantly modify the absorptive and dispersive response of the medium to a weak probe field at a different frequency. Finally, we show that the system is in the regime of cavity-induced transparency with a broad transparency window for dye dimers. We illustrate our findings using pseudoisocyanine chloride (PIC) J-aggregates in currently available optical microcavities.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel julolidinyl-based nonlinear optical chromophores with enhanced electro-optic activity

Under microwave (MW) irradiation at a proper temperature, three chromophores (A, B and C) with julolidinyl-based donors and TCF or CF₃-Ph-TCF acceptors have been synthesized in high overall yields compared with the conventional heating method.

Novel NLO-phores containing dihexyl amino benzo[b]thiophene exhibiting good transparency and enhanced electro-optical activity

Two new chromophores (A and B) were synthesized, in which a benzo[b]thiophene moiety was first introduced as a donor group.

Wide optical spectrum range, subvolt, compact modulator based on an electro-optic polymer refilled silicon slot photonic crystal waveguide

We design and demonstrate a compact and low-power, band-engineered, electro-optic (EO) polymer refilled silicon slot photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) modulator. The EO polymer is engineered for large EO activity and near-infrared transparency. A PCW step coupler is used for optimum coupling to the slow-light mode of the band-engineered PCW. The half-wave switching voltage is measured to be Vπ = 0.97 ± 0.02 V over an optical spectrum range of 8 nm, corresponding to the effective in-device r(33) of 1199 pm/V and V(π) × L = 0.291 ± 0.006 V × mm in a push-pull configuration. Excluding the slow-light effect, we estimate that the EO polymer is poled with an efficiency of 89 pm/V in the slot.

Dendrimers with large nonlinear optical performance by introducing isolation chromophore, utilizing the Ar/ArF self-assembly effect, and modifying the topological structure

By the combination of divergent and convergent approach, a new series of NLO dendrimers (G1-PFPh-NS-GL to G3-PFPh-NS-GL) was conveniently prepared with satisfied yields through the powerful "click chemistry" reaction, in which perfluoroaromatic rings were introduced in the periphery, two types of chromophores were arranged with regular AB structure, and their topological structure was improved to a more spherical shape. All the dendrimers demonstrated good processability, and G1-PFPh-NS-GL exhibited the highest NLO effect of 221 pm/V among the three dendrimers.

From nitro- to sulfonyl-based chromophores: improvement of the comprehensive performance of nonlinear optical dendrimers

Through the combination of the divergent and convergent approaches, coupled with the utilization of the powerful Sharpless "click-chemistry" reaction, two series of sulfonyl-based high-generation NLO dendrimers were conveniently prepared with high purity and in satisfactory yields. Thanks to the perfect three-dimensional (3D) spatial isolation from the highly branched structure and the isolation effect of the exterior benzene moieties and the interior triazole rings, these dendrimers exhibited large second harmonic generation coefficient (d33) values up to 181 pm V(-1), which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest value so far for polymers containing sulfonyl-based chromophore moieties. Meanwhile, compared with the nitro-chromophore-based analogues, their optical transparency and NLO stability were improved in a large degree, due to the lower dipole moment (μ) and the special main-chain structure of sulfonyl-based chromophore in these dendrimers.