Synthesis of second-order nonlinear optical chromophores with enhanced thermal stability and nonlinearity: a conformation-locked trans-polyene approach

Abstract

A facile synthesis that combines the use of an easily polarizable thiophene ring and a ring-locked triene as efficient conjugating moieties is employed to simultaneously enhance molecular nonlinearity (as high as 13000 × 10–48 esu) and thermal stability; incorporating this highly nonlinear chromophore in polyquinoline results in high electrooptic activity and long-term alignment stability at 100 °C for more than 1000 h.