RUI: Photodegradation and Poling Alignment Stability of Branched azo Chromophores in Electro-Optic Polymer Blends

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This RUI project addresses the synthesis of a series of highly electro-optic azo-based chromophores that are potentially robust against photodegradation and are soluble in a thermally stable amorphous polycarbonate host polymer. Thermal stability of chromophore alignment will be measured by temperature-dependent studies of electro-optic activity using an ellipsometric reflection technique. Photodegradation will be evaluated by measuring the optical transmission of thin-film blends subject to continuous laser radiation at applications wavelengths. Straight channel waveguides will be fabricated and photodegradation in waveguide form will be evaluated and compared with lifetime estimates obtained from thin-film studies. The proposed research will provide new data and fundamental understanding of a highly promising and unexplored chromophore design scheme, and will form an experimental and intellectual infrastructure applicable to future designs. An important feature of the program is the integration of research and education through the training of students in a fundamentally and technologically significant area. Materials synthesis and optical characterization will occur at Drew University in well-equipped chemistry and photonics laboratories. These laboratories have been developed through Research Corporation, NSF-ILI, and NSF-RUI grants and are part of an ongoing effort to integrate photonic polymer research with the undergraduate instructional laboratory environment. The experiments are tabletop in scale and expose students to laboratory techniques valued by graduate schools and employers. Students will also experience the promise and excitement of nanotechnology research through selected visits to the University of Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and the Lehigh University Center for Optical Technologies. Students will work alongside the PI to fabricate and characterize microstructured optical waveguides, and will benefit from interacting with the Principal Investigator's research university collaborators, Dr. Padma Gopalan, Dr. Howard Katz, and Dr. Ray Pearson. This RUI award will support at least six summer research students over three years, and will provide equipment to support continued research through the academic year. Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed research literature with student co-authors and presented at professional meetings. ***