Abstract
We describe an experimental investigation of the photopolymerization kinetics and volume holographic recording characteristics of silica nanoparticle-polymer nanocomposites using thiol-ene monomers capable of step-growth polymerization. We characterize the visible light curing kinetics of a thiol-ene monomer system consisting of secondary dithiol with high self-life stability and low odor and triene with rigid structure and high electron density by using real-time Fourier transform spectroscopy and photocalorimetry. In plane-wave volume holographic recording at a wavelength of 532 nm it is shown that while volume holograms recorded in the nanocomposites exhibit high transparency, their saturated refractive index modulation (Δn<sub>sat</sub>) and material sensitivity (S) are as large as 1x10<sup>-2</sup> and 1615 cm/J, respectively. The polymerization shrinkage is reduced as low as 0.4% as a result of the late gelation in conversion. These values meet the acceptable values for holographic data storage media (i.e., 5x10<sup>-3</sup>, 500 cm/J and 0.5% for Δn<sub>sat</sub>, S and shrinkage, respectively). The improved thermal stability of volume holograms recorded in the nanocomposites is also confirmed experimentally.
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