Organic sol‐gel materials for second‐order nonlinear optics based on melamines

Abstract

A series of all organic nonlinear optical (NLO) sol-gel materials based on melamines and an azobenzene dye (Disperse Orange 3; DO3) have been investigated. Different contents of DO3 were covalently bonded with the melamine-based organic network via condensation of amino and methylol groups. The optically clear samples exhibited second-order optical nonlinearity (second-harmonic coefficient d33) = 35.4 and 11.5 pm/V at 1064 and 1542 nm, respectively) after poling and curing at 220°C for 1 h. Thermal behavior of these organic NLO sol-gel systems was studied by temperature-dependent dielectric relaxation. The results indicate that the incorporation of rigid NLO-active chromophore into the melamine-based matrix leads to high rigidity and dense packing of the organic network. Subsequently, higher glass transition temperatures were obtained for the organic NLO sol-gel material with higher DO3 content. The influence of composition on the temporal stability at 100°C was also investigated. Temporal stability at 100°C was studied as a function of system composition. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2503–2510, 1999