A Convenient Modular Approach of Functionalizing Aromatic Polyquinolines for Electrooptic Devices

• Published in: Chemistry of materials 1999-08, Vol.11 (8), p.2218-2225
• Main Authors: Ma, Hong, Jen, Alex K.-Y, Wu, Jianyao, Wu, Xiaoming, Liu, Sen, Shu, Ching-Fong, Dalton, Larry R, Marder, Seth R, Thayumanavan, Sankaran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical modifications; Chemical reactions and properties; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Optical materials; Optics; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Physics; Polymers and organics
• ISSN: 0897-4756; 1520-5002
• DOI: 10.1021/cm9901818

A versatile and generally applicable synthetic method for making second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) side-chain aromatic polyquinolines has been developed. This approach emphasizes the ease of incorporating NLO chromophores onto the pendent phenyl moieties of parent polyquinolines at the final stage via a mild Mitsunobu reaction, which provides the synthesis of NLO polyquinolines with a broad variation of polymer backbones and great flexibility in the selection of chromophores. The synthesized NLO side-chain polyquinolines possess high glass transition temperature (T g > 200 °C), good processability, and excellent thermal stability. The promising results of electrooptic (EO) activity (up to 35 pm/V at 830 nm and 22 pm/V at 1300 nm), optical loss (1.5−2.5 dB/cm), and long-term stability of the poling-induced polar order (r 33 values retained >90% of their original values at 85 °C for more than 1000 h) have demonstrated the advantages of this design approach. The excellent combination of these properties in the resulting polymers have also provided a great promise in the development of EO devices.