HETEROAROMATIC CHROMOPHORE-FUNCTIONALIZED EPOXY-BASED NONLINEAR-OPTICAL POLYMERS

A series of epoxy-based second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) polymers containing heteroaromatic chromophores have been designed. Precursor p olymers were prepared from the polymerization between the diglycidyl e ther of Bisphenol A and aniline or 4-(2-thienyl)aniline. The precursor polymers were postfunctionalized by an ate-coupling reaction as well as tricyanovinylation to form a series of NLO polymers containing hete roaromatic chromophores. We have extended and established the versatil ity of our earlier reported postmodification strategy to include vario us heteroaromatic chromophores in the polymers at the final stage of s ynthesis. The correlation between different heteroaromatic chromophore structures and the NLO properties of the polymers was extensively stu died during this work. Polymers containing heteroaromatic chromophores exhibit improved temporal stability and enhanced NLO activity. The d( 33) value of 80 pm/V at 1.550 mu m was observed for a representative p olymer of the class containing 2-(4-aminophenyl)-(5-tricyanovinyl)thio phene chromophores. NLO properties of the poled polymers exhibit long- term stability at 80 degrees C.