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Nonlinear Optical Probes and Processes in Polymers and Liquid ...

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14<br />

chromophores, the second order nonl<strong>in</strong>earity (electro-optic effect) can be produced by<br />

electric field pol<strong>in</strong>g which breaks the symmetry <strong>and</strong> therefore allows for the second<br />

order effects to occur. This is <strong>in</strong> contrast to crystals where, as it was mentioned <strong>in</strong><br />

Chapter 1, there is a limited number of symmetry groups that do not possess <strong>in</strong>-<br />

version symmetry, <strong>and</strong> so only these noncentrosymmetric crystals are considered as<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idates for PR materials.<br />

The first polymer composite that exhibited PR effect was made <strong>in</strong> 1990 <strong>and</strong> con-<br />

sisted of an optically nonl<strong>in</strong>ear epoxy polymer bisphenol-A-diglycidylether-4-nitro-<br />

1,2-phenylenediam<strong>in</strong>e (bisA-NDPA) doped with hole transport agent diethylam<strong>in</strong>o-<br />

benzaldehyde-diphenylhydrazone (DEH) [8]. S<strong>in</strong>ce then, the photorefraction <strong>in</strong> poly-<br />

mers has developed <strong>in</strong>to an active field. Numerous PR polymer composites with<br />

improved performance were subsequently studied . However, there are still many<br />

unrevealed mysteries <strong>in</strong> the PR performance of materials <strong>and</strong> polymers <strong>in</strong> particular.<br />

These are related to the complexity of both the PR effect itself, <strong>and</strong> to polymers<br />

as a disordered medium. All of the work I am present<strong>in</strong>g here <strong>in</strong> Chapters 2 <strong>and</strong> 3<br />

was directed towards obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g some underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g of these processes <strong>in</strong> PR polymer<br />

composites.<br />

2.1.2 Orig<strong>in</strong> of photorefractivity <strong>in</strong> polymer composites<br />

The basic phenomena contribut<strong>in</strong>g to the PR effect are photoconductivity <strong>and</strong> the<br />

electro-optic effect. The specific processes required for the PR effect <strong>in</strong>clude: photo-

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