Systematic Nanoengineering of Soft Matter Organic Electro-optic Materials

An overview of the development and utilization of organic electro-optic materials is presented with emphasis on the role played by quantum and statistical mechanical calculations in understanding critical structure/function relationships that have guided the improvement of such materials over the past two decades. This review concentrates largely on three classes of organic electro-optic materials prepared by electric field poling of materials near their glass transition temperature: (1) chromophore/polymer composite materials, (2) dendrimers and polymers containing covalently incorporated chromophores, and (3) matrix-assisted-poling (MAP) materials where specific spatially anisotropic interactions enhance poling efficiency. In particular, the role of chromophore shape, restrictions on chromophore motion associated with covalent bonds, and lattice dimensionality effects are reviewed. The role of device design and auxiliary properties (optical loss, thermal stability, photochemical stability, processability) in influencing the utilization of organic electro-optic materials is also briefly reviewed.