Chromophores for Electro-Optic Materials with Enhanced Performance
Abstract
New organic chromophores were synthesized to study the effect of variation of the donor, the acceptor, and the structure of the intervening conjugated bridge on the magnitude of the optical nonlinearity and on both their thermal and photochemical stability. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, confirmed previous findings that molecules substituted with diarylamino donors were significantly more stable than dialkylamino donors. Under conditions of photolysis molecules substituted with diarylamino donors were more stable in air than those dialklamino donors; however, this difference was much smaller when the molecules were photolyzed under a nitrogen atmosphere or in polymer films. Molecules substituted with vinylic-based acceptors, with a hydrogen atom on the carbon, directly bonded to the conjugated bridge were less stable than those that had a carbon at this site. Electrochemical studies demonstrated that the former compounds had irreversible reductions, whereas the latter compounds exhibited reversible reductions. The observed instability of the molecules substituted with hydrogen baring vinylic-based acceptors may arise from transiently formed radical anions on the vinyl group that are very unstable. These results should aid in the future design of materials that are thermally and photochemically robust.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 06, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA383503
Entities
People
- Seth Marder
Organizations
- University of Arizona