High-Voltage Poling of a Bulk Sample of Disperse Red 1 Polymethylmethacrylate Guest-Host Polymer for U.S. Army Electro-Optical Applications

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is currently developing novel materials with high-bulk electro-optic EO activities that are transparent in the visible andor near infrared regions of the spectrum. This multi-defense laboratory collaboration is a highly interactive and multispectral research effort with expertise spanning from molecular modeling, materials development and processing, and system fabrication and testing, which is operating toward the development of fast EO shutters. A computational effort to predict desired physical properties of EO chromophores such as their hyperpolarizability and visible wavelength transparency has been developed. This effort allows the chemists to more efficiently synthesize highly active chromophores within desired specifications. Recently, the team demonstrated the ability to align molecules in a thick polymer film, which is required for a fast protective shutter. EO coefficients comparable to thin film samples have already been measured, with the prospect that bulk values may exceed those for thin films. This development will enable a new class of ultrafast optical devices using the linear EO effect that will operate on a subnanosecond time scale.