Design and synthesis of novel materials exhibiting large electrooptic coefficients

In this thesis, we developed several synthetic approaches to synthesize polymeric systems with different kinds of NLO chromophores. It has been shown that NLO polyimides possess high thermal stability and tunable optical nonlinearity with electro-optic coefficients as high as LiNbO₃ (r₃₃ = 30 pm/V) were synthesised. Careful design would lead to the synthesis of new NLO polyimides with high thermal stability and large optical nonlinearity.; A well known Stille reaction was utilized to synthesize polymers bearing a sensitive NLO chromophores. Careful design of a dibromo monomer having imide groups yielded a new class of functional NLO polyimides. The resulting polymers exhibit large r₃₃ values (35pm/V at 1.3 gm) and a good temporal stability at elevated temperatures (80°C). This approach proves to be one of a few reactions which can tolerate some of those sensitive NLO chromophore; however, its use can not be expanded to chromophore with a very large nonlinearity.; Moore's polyester approach was utilized to synthesize novel polyester-imid polymers with sensitive NLO chromophores. The highly sensitive NLO chromophores tolerated the polymerization conditions.; Molecular recognition between complementary subunits via hydrogen bonding was utilized to synthesize functional self-assembles for electro-optic applications. Careful design and synthesis of hydrogen donor and hydrogen acceptor monomers lead to the synthesis of a new class of functional NLO supramolecular self-assemblies. These materials have the potential to be functionalized with NLO chromophores with a very large lip values since these assemblies are formed under mild conditions. The resulting self-assembled polymers exhibit large r₃₃ values (10–70 pm/V at 1.3 gm) and a good long term temporal stability at room temperature. Changing the structure of either complementary subunits can be used to fine tune the physical properties of the self-assembled material. This approach could provide the solution to the development of high performance NLO materials. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...