PYROELECTRIC POLYMERS FOR NONLINEAR OPTICS

A new class of materials, denoted Pyroelectric Liquid Crystal Polymers (PLCP), is described in this work. It is a polymer which is thermodyn amically stable, intrinsically polar and suitable for second-order non linear optics. It is made by photochemical crosslinking of ferroelectr ic or antiferroelectric low molar mass liquid crystals. A number of di fferent monomer and polymer materials are described in terms of their physical properties and second-harmonic generation. Their long-term pr operties and future development are discussed.