Thermally stable chromophores and polymers for χ⁽²⁾ applications

Abstract

Due to the requirements for thermal stability in the fabrication and operation of electro-optic devices, the quest for suitable NLO chromophores and polymers involves more than the search for highly nonlinear materials. We describe here the preparation and tharacterization of aryl substituted azole derivatives as a class of thermally stable flOflh1ne1r chromophores and their incorporation into high temperature thermoplastics as a host-guest array. Criteria for predicting the thermal stability of NLO chromophores are discussed as are the polar order decay properties of various poled polymer systems as a function of temperature.