Linear and nonlinear optical properties of Langmuir–Blodgett multilayers from chromophore-containing maleic acid anhydride polymers

Abstract

Organized polymer films prepared from amphiphilic side-chain polymers were investigated with respect to their application in passive or active photonic devices. The polymers were synthesized by means of polymer analogous reaction of azo chromophores with a maleic acid anhydride polymer which bears saturated hydrophobic side chains. The resulting polymer contains, besides hydrophilic groups and hydrophobic side chains, azo chromophores with high second-order hyperpolarizability which are attached to the main chain via a spacer. In order to increase the hydrophobic character of the chromophore, a fluorinated moiety was chosen as acceptor of the chromophore. Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique was applied for preparation of multilayer structures with distinct supramolecular architecture from these polymers. They are characterized by high anisotropy and a special combination of linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The polymers were deposited both in Y-type and Z-type LB layers. The Y-type layers of the azopolymer show high birefringence and dichroism but small nonlinear response which originates from the first deposited layer only. Multilayers of the azopolymer deposited in Y-type configuration are characterized by high internal order which can be concluded from a pronounced Bragg-peak and Kiessig-fringe patterns as obtained from gracing incidence X-ray scattering. Experiments to deposit the active polymer directly in Z-type configuration by passing a blank water compartment before layer deposition in a double compartment LB-trough led to the result that well-ordered, anisotropic films are obtained only if the number of deposited monolayers is limited to a value of about 30. The layers deposited in Z-type manner show low order. This can be concluded from the fact that only a weak Bragg-peak is observed in the X-ray scattering curves, and Kiessig-fringes are very weak or missing. The same conclusion can be drawn from ellipsometric and second-harmonic generation (SHG) experiments. A second kind of Z-type multilayers was prepared by alternate deposition of the active azopolymer and of another maleic acid anhydride polymer without chromophores. They show similar linear optical properties like Y-type layers but due to the noncentrosymmetric internal structure, a NLO second-order response grows proportional to the square of the sample thickness. Again, thick layers of the azopolymer prepared by alternate deposition LB-technique were prepared, which can be used as active waveguide for second-order NLO application.