AMPHIPHILIC NONLINEAR-OPTICAL BIS-CHROMOPHORES AND THEIR MIXTURES WITH AMPHOTROPIC COPOLYMERS - PREPARATION OF MONOLAYERS AND LANGMUIR-BLODGETT MULTILAYERS

A new type of bis-chromophores containing two successive, covalently l inked, nonlinear optical (NLO) dyes has been synthesized. For their pr eparation, alpha-cyanocinnamates or dinitrophenylhydrazones have been combined with an 4'-alkoxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate acting both as a hydr ophobic, mesogenic moiety and as the second NLO dye. The self-organizi ng properties at the air-water interface as well as the monolayer and LB multilayer transfer of these new NLO amphiphiles has been investiga ted. Furthermore, stable and homogeneous mixed films with an amphotrop ic matrix polymer were obtained due to the enhanced miscibility of the mesogenic dye with the mesogenic side chains of the polymer. Second h armonic generation (SHG) measurements have been carried out, showing t he complex behavior of the molecules.