Nanocomposites of NLO chromophore‐modified layered silicates and polypropylene

Intercalation of guest species into layered inorganic solids is a method of producing ordered inorganic–organic assemblies with unique microstructures controlled by host–guest and guest–guest interactions. Smectite clay minerals, such as montmorillonite, having appropriate functional molecules in between the silicate layers are supposed to exhibit a wide range of novel characteristics. Nanocomposite material based on maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene and dye‐modified layered silicate was developed. Characteristics of organo‐modified montmorillonite particles and polymer/clay hybrids have been investigated through FTIR, SAXS, DSC, UV measurements, and transmission electron microscopy. The results of the intercalation process, structural characterization, and thermal properties will be discussed in comparison with the intercalation and nanocomposite preparation results. The intercalation was successfully conducted by the ion‐exchange method. It was shown that intercalated dibenzilidene acetone type chromophores exist in the clay galleries in an aggregated form, probably as J‐aggregates. This feature strongly effects on optical and nonlinear optical properties of nanocomposites. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2493–2502, 2005     

Stable second‐order NLO semi‐IPN system based on bipyridine‐containing polyimide and alkoxysilane dye

An organosoluble polyimide based on bipyridyl moiety and an alkoxysilane dye have been developed for second‐order non‐linear optics (NLOs). This bipyridine‐containing polyimide exhibits a glass transition temperature of 254°C and a degradation temperature of 400°C. An NLO‐active semi‐interpenetrating network (IPN) system was prepared by blending the polyimide with the alkoxysilane dye via in situ sol‐gel process of alkoxysilane. The selection of this bipyridine‐containing polyimide as the polymeric matrices provides improved solubility and thermal stability, and most importantly enhanced intermolecular interactions. No aggregation of the NLO chromophores in the polyimide matrices was observed through morphology and NLO studies. Under the limitation of chromophore degradation at elevated temperatures, the pristine poled/cured alkoxysilane dye exhibits poorer long‐term stability. By introducing the polyimide upon a silica network by the semi‐IPN system, randomization of the oriented chromophores can be effectively suppressed. Using in situ contact poling, the r₃₃ coefficients of 2.2–17.0 pm/V were obtained for the optically clear semi‐IPN NLO materials. Excellent temporal stability (100°C) was also achieved for these semi‐IPN materials. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

L‐Argininium phosphite – a new candidate for NLO materials

In order to investigate the possibility of salt formation in the L‐Arg–H₃PO₃–H₂O system, single crystals of L‐argininium phosphite, C₆H₁₅N₄O₂⁺·H₂PO₃⁻, were prepared by evaporation of an aqueous solution containing equimolar quantities of L‐arginine and phosphorous acid. The asymmetric unit contains one L‐argininium(+) cation and one phosphite [HPO₂(OH)]⁻ anion. The phosphite anions form chains parallel to [010] by O—H...O hydrogen bonding, with an O...O distance of 2.630 (3) Å. The protonated amine and guanidyl groups of the L‐argininium(+) cations form N—H...O hydrogen bonds with the carboxylate groups and anions. The IR and Raman spectra are discussed in relation to the crystal structure. The salt displays nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. Another salt was obtained from a solution with a 1:2 molar ratio of components, but was characterized by vibrational spectra only.     

High‐Generation Second‐Order Nonlinear Optical (NLO) Dendrimers that Contain Isolation Chromophores: Convenient Synthesis by Using Click Chemistry and their Increased NLO Effects

Herein, high‐generation dendrimers G4‐NS and G5‐NS , which contained 30 and 62 azo‐benzene chromophore moieties, respectively, were conveniently prepared in high purity and satisfied yields by a combination of divergent and convergent approaches, coupled with the utilization of the powerful Sharpless click reaction. These dendrimers possessed a regular structure of alternating layers of nitro‐based and sulfonyl‐based azo chromophores in which the sulfonyl‐based azo‐chromophore moieties were utilized as co‐isolation groups for the nitro‐based moieties to achieve larger macroscopic second‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) effects. These high‐generation dendrimers ( G4‐NS and G5‐NS ) displayed very large NLO efficiencies (up to 253.0 pm V^?1), which is, to the best of our knowledge, the record highest efficiency for simple azo‐chromophore moieties.     

含1,8-二甲氧基-9,10-二氢蒽和巴比妥酸的发色团化合物的合成和NLO性质

在哌啶和醋酸催化下,1,8-二甲氧基-4,5-二甲酰基-9,10-二氢蒽和异佛尔酮巴比妥酸衍生物经Knoevenagel缩合合成了具有NLO性质的发色团化合物。在这些发色团中,环锁定的三烯和9,10-二氢蒽用作共轭桥,巴比妥酸和甲氧其分别作为吸电子和给电子基, 组成非共轭的两个D-π-A单位。溶剂变色法和紫外光谱研究证实它们比相应的参考物有较大的NLO活性并能保持与参考化合物相同的透光性。     

The Role of Ion Pairs in the Second‐Order NLO Response of 4‐X‐1‐Methylpiridinium Salts

A series of 4‐X‐1‐methylpyridinium cationic nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores (X=(E)‐CH?CHC₆H₅; (E)‐CH?CHC₆H₄‐4′‐C(CH₃)₃; (E)‐CH?CHC₆H₄‐4′‐N(CH₃)₂; (E)‐CH?CHC₆H₄‐4′‐N(C₄H₉)₂; (E,E)‐(CH?CH)₂C₆H₄‐4′‐N(CH₃)₂) with various organic (CF₃SO₃^?, p‐CH₃C₆H₄SO₃^?), inorganic (I^?, ClO₄^?, SCN^?, [Hg₂I₆]^2?) and organometallic (cis‐[Ir(CO)₂I₂]^?) counter anions are studied with the aim of investigating the role of ion pairing and of ionic dissociation or aggregation of ion pairs in controlling their second‐order NLO response in anhydrous chloroform solution. The combined use of electronic absorption spectra, conductimetric measurements and pulsed field gradient spin echo (PGSE) NMR experiments show that the second‐order NLO response, investigated by the electric‐field‐induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) technique, of the salts of the cationic NLO chromophores strongly depends upon the nature of the counter anion and concentration. The ion pairs are the major species at concentration around 10^?3 M , and their dipole moments were determined. Generally, below 5×10^?4 M , ion pairs start to dissociate into ions with parallel increase of the second‐order NLO response, due to the increased concentration of purely cationic NLO chromophores with improved NLO response. At concentration higher than 10^?3 M , some multipolar aggregates, probably of H type, are formed, with parallel slight decrease of the second‐order NLO response. Ion pairing is dependent upon the nature of the counter anion and on the electronic structure of the cationic NLO chromophore. It is very strong for the thiocyanate anion in particular and, albeit to a lesser extent, for the sulfonated anions. The latter show increased tendency to self‐aggregate.     

Designing Silicates as Deep‐UV Nonlinear Optical (NLO) Materials using Edge‐Sharing Tetrahedra

Discovering new deep‐ultraviolet (DUV) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is currently a great challenge. The reported DUV NLO materials are almost exclusively borates or phosphates. Silicates—the largest constituent of the earth's crust—are excluded owing to their weak second harmonic generation (SHG) response. We report a silicate, Li₂BaSiO₄, with edge‐sharing LiO₄–SiO₄ tetrahedra that achieves the balance between a short UV absorption edge, below 190 nm, and a large SHG response, 2.8×KDP. The SHG intensity is the largest for silicates without second‐order Jahn–Teller cations, and exceeds that of non‐isomorphic Li₂SrSiO₄ by more than an order of magnitude. As such Li₂BaSiO₄ may be seen as a promising DUV‐UV NLO material. This research indicates that edge‐sharing tetrahedra is a new design parameter for discovering new DUV NLO materials.     

Nonlinear optical (NLO) polymers. IV. Second‐order optical nonlinearity of NLO polyurea and copolyurea with NLO dipole moments aligned transverse to the main backbone

This article presents the molecular orientation and second‐order optical nonlinearity of newly prepared polyureas and copolyurea with dipole moments aligned transverse to the main backbone. Nonlinear optical (NLO) polyureas, TPU and TPU2, were prepared from 2,4‐diamino‐4′‐nitroazobenzene (2R‐DIAMINE) with 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (DMDI) and tolylene 2,4‐diisocyanate, respectively. NLO copolyurea was prepared from DMDI with 2R‐DIAMINE and m‐phenylene diamine. TPU and TPU2 gave d₃₃ values of 12.5 and 9.8 pm/V, respectively, under optimum poling conditions. A time‐dependent decay curve of second‐order nonlinear susceptibility was fitted well with a Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts stretched exponential function. The relaxation time of TPU2 was 4.2 × 10⁸ s at 100 °C. Copolyurea was uniaxially drawn in ratios of 1.5 and 2.0. The average molecular angles Φ_X , Φ_Y , and Φ_Z in three laboratory frames were evaluated from the refractive indices. Φ_Y decreased and Φ_X and Φ_Z increased with an increasing draw ratio. The dependence of the second‐order harmonic intensity on the incidence angle, that is, the Maker fringe pattern, was fitted with two independent tensor components, d₃₃ and d₃₁, for undrawn film and five independent tensor components, d₃₃, d₃₂, d₃₁, d₁₅, and d₂₄, for drawn films. For drawn films, Kleinman symmetry was not satisfied: d₃₁ ≠ d₁₅ and d₃₂ ≠ d₂₄. An increase in the draw ratio gave rise to a large increase in the tensor component d₃₃. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 247–255, 2001     

Enhanced Temporal Stability of an NLO Polyurethane via a Two‐Dimensional Chromophore

A new NLO‐active polyurethane (T_g = 145°C) based on a two‐dimensional NLO chromophore has been investigated. Two ends of this lambda‐shaped chromophore can be directly bound to the main chain of polyurethane. After poling, fast relaxation of the effective second harmonic (SH) coefficient was observed at temperatures higher than 122°C. Moreover, excellent temporal stability at 100°C was obtained despite the operating temperature being very close to the fast relaxation temperature. This is due to the fact that embedding the rigid lambda‐shaped chromophores into the polymer backbone effectively restricts molecular motion at temperatures close to T_g.     

Novel π‐Electron Extension System via Chromophores Self‐Polymerization to Enhance the NLO Efficiency

A new strategy for the self‐polymerization of chromophores is investigated to develop a 2,7‐carbazole‐based nonlinear optical (NLO) conjugated polymer with an increasing conjugation length of chromophores. Elongation of the conjugation‐path length in chromophores has established engineering guidelines to enhance optical nonlinearity. Compared with the traditional synthesis of an NLO polymer, the chromophores should be well‐designed at a limited conjugation spacer, and then incorporated into a polymer matrix. In this research, the π‐conjugation spacer of chromophores extended perpendicularly to the dipole of chromophores during the polymerization process. Furthermore, this study marks the first research of integrating the π‐electrons of chromophores and conjugated polymers. These conjugated backbones promote a bulk‐polarization response, leading to large NLO coefficients.

     

Synthesis and characterization of main‐chain NLO oligomers and polymer that contain 4‐dialkylamino‐ 4′‐(alkylsulfonyl)azobenzene chromophores

An ω‐amino carboxylic acid monomer that contained a nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophore was prepared by a convergent synthesis. Strategies for selective protection/deprotection of the amino and carboxylic acid functionalities were developed. The protected monomer, 4‐[N‐(4‐benzyloxycarbonyl)butyl‐N‐methylamino]‐4′‐[2″,5″‐bis(decyloxy)‐4″‐(phthalimidomethyl)benzylsulfonyl]azobenzene, could be deprotected selectively or sequentially to give HOOC‐monomer‐N‐phthaloyl, benzyl‐OOC‐monomer‐NH₂, or HOOC‐monomer‐NH₂. Sequential synthesis was performed to yield main‐chain NLO dimers and tetramers. This was accomplished by selective deprotection and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide coupling. The HOOC‐monomer‐NH₂ was polymerized by treatment with diphenylphosphoryl azide to give a main‐chain NLO polyamide. The monomer, dimer, tetramer, and polymer NLO materials were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, IR, and UV–visible spectroscopy as well as by gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and elemental analysis. The NLO properties of these materials were measured. Thin films of the oligomers and polymer were prepared by spin casting on indium‐tin oxide coated glass. The second‐order NLO properties of the oligomers and polymer thin films were studied by in situ corona poling/second‐harmonic generation and attenuated total reflection methods. The optimal poling temperatures were significantly lower than the melting temperatures or glass‐transition temperatures of the oligomers and polymer. The poling efficiency increased in the following order: monomer, oligomers, and polymer. An electro‐optic coefficient of 4 pm/V at 1.06 μm was obtained for the polymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 546–559, 2000     

Cyclometalated IrIII Complexes with Substituted 1,10‐Phenanthrolines: A New Class of Efficient Cationic Organometallic Second‐Order NLO Chromophores

Cyclometalated cationic Ir^III complexes with substituted 1,10‐phenanthrolines (1,10‐phen), such as [Ir(ppy)₂(5‐R‐1,10‐phen)]Y (ppy=cyclometalated 2‐phenylpyridine; R=NO₂, H, Me, NMe₂; Y^?=PF₆^?, C₁₂H₂₅SO₃^?, I^?) and [Ir(ppy)₂(4‐R,7‐R‐1,10‐phen)]Y (R=Me, Ph) are characterized by a significant second‐order optical non linearity (measured by the electrical field induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) technique). This nonlinearity is controlled by MLCT processes from the cyclometalated Ir^III, acting as a donor push system, to π* orbitals of the phenanthroline, acting as an acceptor pull system. Substitution of cyclometalated 2‐phenylpyridine by the more π delocalized 2‐phenylquinoline (pq) or benzo[h]quinoline (bzq) or by the sulfur‐containing 4,5‐diphenyl‐2‐methyl‐thiazole (dpmf) does not significantly affect the μβ absolute value, which instead is affected by the nature of the R substituents on the phenanthroline, the higher value being associated with the electron‐withdrawing NO₂ group. By using a combined experimental (the EFISH technique and ¹H and ¹⁹F PGSE NMR spectroscopy) and theoretical (DFT, time‐dependent‐DFT (TDDFT), sum over states (SOS) approach) investigation, evidence is obtained that ion pairing, which is controlled by the nature of the counterion and by the concentration, may significantly affect the μβ values of these cationic NLO chromophores. In CH₂Cl₂, concentration‐dependent high absolute values of μβ are obtained for [Ir(ppy)₂(5‐NO₂‐1,10‐phen)]Y if Y is a weakly interacting anion, such as PF₆^?, whereas with a counterion, such as C₁₂H₂₅SO₃^? or I^?, which form tight ion‐pairs, the absolute value of μβ is lower and quite independent of the concentration. This μβ trend is partially due to the perturbation of the counterion on the LUMO π* levels of the phenanthroline. The correlation between the μβ value and dilution shows that the effect of concentration is a factor that must be taken into careful consideration.     

Studies on the feasibility of recycled polystyrene doped with NLO active meta‐Nitroaniline for optoelectronics applications

A Guest–Host system based on meta‐Nitroaniline (m‐NA) and recycled polystyrene (RPS) susceptible to generate nonlinear optically (NLO) active property such as second harmonic generation (SHG) has been prepared. Pure, sublimed, optical grade, crystalline m‐NA is used as a guest and RPS from the disposable packaging waste as available utilized as the host polymer. In this paper we report the effect of NLO active m‐NA on the bulk and optical properties of RPS. The purified m‐NA was incorporated from 1–10 wt% in the RPS polymer matrix by conventional solution casting method. Thin, transparent, freestanding films obtained were characterized with optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), viscosity measurement, and UV–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy for bulk properties evaluation and Nd:YAG laser studies for optoelectronics application such as SHG through frequency doubling. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proton-triggered octopolar NLO chromophores

C(3)-symmetric, octopolar 1,3,5-alkynylbenzenes with terminal pyridyl substituents are presented which show an increase up to 17-fold in the second-order NLO activity upon protonation while maintaining their octopolar character, as confirmed by the depolarization ratios measured.     

Stilbene‐containing polyactylenes: Molecular design,synthesis, and relationship between molecular structure and NLO properties

Polyacetylenes ( P1–P4 ) containing different stilbene groups, ? [(CH?C) ? Ph? CH?CH? Ph? R]_n? (R?OC_mH_2m+1 (m = 4 ( P1 ), 10 ( P2 ), 16 ( P3 )), or NO₂ ( P4 )) were designed and synthesized, respectively, using [Rh(nbd)Cl]₂ as a catalyst. Their structures and properties were characterized and evaluated by FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, GPC, and UV, PL, respectively. The optical limiting and nonlinear optical properties were investigated by using a frequency doubled, Q‐switched, mode‐locked Continuum ns/ps Nd:YAG laser system and their optical limiting mechanism was discussed. It is surprising to see that the stilbene pendants endow the polyacetylenes with a high thermal stability (T_d ≥ 270 °C), novel optical limiting properties and large third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibilities (up to 4.61 × 10^?10 esu). The optical limiting mechanism is mainly originated from reverse saturable absorption of molecules. In addition, it is found that the polymer with electron accepted NO₂ moiety exhibits better optical properties than that with electron donated alkoxy group because of larger π electron delocalization and dipolar effect. The strong interaction between stilbene pendants and the polyene main chain significantly results in red‐shift of fluorescence emitting peak. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4529–4541, 2008     

DFT Calculations,Spectroscopic Studies,Biological Activity and Non Linear Optical Properties (NLO) of Novel Ternary Cu(II)‐Chelates Derived from 5‐Acetyl‐4‐hydroxy‐2H‐1,3‐thiazinedione

New ternary Cu(II)‐chelates with the general formula [ML L′(H₂O)_x] (NO₃)_y x (H₂O), x = 0–2 and y = 0–1, (L) = 5‐acetyl‐4‐hydroxy‐2H‐1,3‐thiazine‐2,6(3H)‐dione with in the presence of a secondary ligand (L′) [N,O‐donor; 8 hydroxyquinoline or N,N‐donor; 1,10‐phenanthroline and diethethylendiamine]. Characterization of the synthesized complexes was established based on elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, spectral (infrared, electronic, mass, ¹H‐NMR and ESR) as well as thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The complexes exhibited octahedral and square planer geometry. The antimicrobial activity for the studied complexes was tested for different kind of organisms. The geometrical and non‐linear optical parameters of the studied complexes 1–3 are investigated theoretically at the B3LYP/GENECP level of theory. The optimized geometries of the studied complexes are non‐planner as indicated from the dihedral angles. The natural charge population (core, valence and Rydberg), exact electronic configuration, total Lewis, and total non‐Lewis is computed and discussed in terms of natural bond orbitals (NBO) analysis. The calculated E_HOMO and E_LUMO energies at the same level of theory of the studied complexes were used to calculate the global properties; hardness (η), global softness (S), electrophilicity (ω) and electronegativity (χ). The total dipole moment (μ_tot), total and anisotropy of polarizability (? α ?), (Δα) and first hyperpolarizability (? β ?) values were calculated and compared with urea as a reference compound. From the values of the computed first hyperpolarizability (? β ?), the ligand and the studied complexes show promising optical properties.     

Insertion of Copper(II)/Schiff‐Base Complexes with NLO Properties into Commercial Polycarbonates by Thermal Processes

The preparation of a bisphenol‐A carbonate copolymer, containing Cu‐diimine units with nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, and its MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometric characterization are reported. Contrary to the usual synthetic method, NLO groups were inserted directly into a commercial polycarbonate by prolonged heating at 250 °C. This innovative procedure allows to obtain a Cu/diimine‐containing polymer of high molecular weight.

     

NLO Polymers Containing Anionic Chromophore

Preparation of second order nonlinear optic (NLO) materials based on cellulose diacetate and melamine derivatives was tried. The NLO chromophore sodium [4′‐(N, N‐dihydroxyethyl) amino] phenyl‐4‐azo‐benzene sulfonate incorporated into the crosslinking network resulted from cellulose diacetate and trimethylolmelamine or hexamethylolmelamine. The poled and cured NLO materials exhibited the electrooptic coefficient r₁₃ of 1.72 pm/V or 1.15 pm/V at the laser wavelength of 1550 nm, modulation frequency of 12.7 kHz, and the r₁₃ value decreased to 71.5% or 81.5% of the initial values after 4 days. The laser transmission loss was 0.94 dB or 1.76 dB. The crosslinking materials showed better temporal stability than the material of the host/guest type. The results of FTIR, dielectric relaxation, and TGA proved the formation of the crosslinking structure and that the dielectric relaxation was suppressed by higher crosslinking density.     

一种主链含非线性光学活性基团聚合物的合成

把非线性光学(NLO)发色基团引入到聚合物主链中,既可以增大聚合物中NLO基团的含量,从而提高聚合物的宏观NLO系数,又能够提高NLO聚合物的极化稳定性。本文报道一种由酚酞环氧树脂(PPh)与对硝基苯胺(NA)得到的NLO聚合物的合成及其极化松弛。 所用酚酞环氧树脂系自制,环氧值0.427。对硝基苯胺北京化工厂产,分析纯。N,N-二甲基甲酰胺为中国医药公司售品,化学纯,用前减压蒸馏精制,乙醇、丙酮均为北京化工厂生产,分析纯。在氮气保护下将等当量的PPh与NA溶于DMF中于150℃反应6～8小时后,倒