Design of Organic Nonlinear Optical Materials
Abstract
This project deals with a new approach to designing organic nonlinear optical materials for second harmonic generation based on the use of hydrogen bonding to organize molecules into acentric arrays. Since crystal engineering is not a well developed science we can not yet predict crystal packing patterns for even simple organic molecules. For organic nonlinear optical materials this dilemma means that even the most promising organic molecule may have poor to nonexistent nonlinear optical properties because it forms centric crystals or crystals with unfavorable molecular dipole alignments. Our work is aimed at gaining control over the crystal growth process by understanding the molecular basic for aggregation and nucleation. Using hydrogen bonds as one of the strongest, most prevalent, and most easily identified intermolecular interactions, we have found that we can predict the primary structure of hydrogen-bonded aggregates based on functional group complementarity and stereoelectronic considerations. We use this information to choose (or synthesize) molecules with hydrogen-bonding groups positioned on the molecules so that acentric hydrogen-bonded aggregates must necessarily form. (JES)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA222400
Entities
People
- Margaret C. Etter
Organizations
- University of Minnesota