Nanoscale refractive index tuning of siloxane-based self-assembled electro-optic superlattices

The refractive indices of self-assembled organic electro-optic superlattice s can be tuned by intercalating high-Z optically transparent group 13 metal oxide sheets into the structures during the self-assembly process. Microst ructurally regular acentricity and sizable electro-optic responses are reta ined in this straightforward synthetic procedure. This "one-pot" all wet-ch emistry approach involves: i) layer-by-layer covalent self-assembly of intr insically acentric multilayers of high-hyperpolarizability chromophores on inorganic oxide substrates, ii) protecting group cleavage to generate a lar ge density of reactive surface hydroxyl sites, iii) self-limiting capping o f each chromophore layer with octachlorotrisiloxane, iv) deposition of meta l oxide sheets derived from THF solutions of Ga((OC3H7)-C-i)(3) or In((OC3H 7)-C-i)(3), and v) covalent capping of the resulting Superlattices.