First order molecular hyperpolarizabilities and intramolecular charge transfer from the vibrational spectra of NLO material: ethyl‐3‐(3, 4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐2‐propenoate

As part of the efforts for the design of new organic nonlinear optical(NLO) materials with high efficiency for present day technological requirements, a comprehensive investigation on the intramolecular charge transfer(CT) of an efficient π‐conjugated potential push–pull NLO chromophore, ethyl‐3‐(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐2‐propenoate(EDP) to a strong electron‐acceptor group through the π‐conjugated bridge has been carried out from their vibrational spectra. The first hyperpolarizabilities of caffeic derivatives are investigated by ab initio method. The NLO efficiency is experimentally measured by powder efficiency experiment. The strongest vibrational modes contributing to the electro‐optic effect from the simultaneous infrared(IR) and Raman activities of the ring CC stretching modes, in‐plane deformation modes, and the umbrella mode of the methyl groups have been identified and analyzed unambiguously. The influence of electronic effects, hyperconjugation and backdonation, on the C H stretching vibrations of both methyl and methylene groups causing the decrease of stretching wavenumbers and IR intensities has been extensively investigated. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.