Vincent Rodriguez

Design and Characterization of Molecular Nonlinear Optical Switches

Nanoscale structures, including molecules, supramolecules, polymers, functionalized surfaces, and crystalline/amorphous solids, can commute between two or more forms, displaying contrasts in their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. Because of this property, they have high potential for applications in data storage, signal processing, and sensing. As potential candidates for integration into responsive materials, scientists have been intensely studying organic and organometallic molecules with switchable first hyperpolarizability over the past two decades. As a result of this, researchers have been able to synthesize and characterize several families of molecular NLO switches that differ by the stimulus used to trigger the commutation. These stimuli can include light irradiation, pH variation, redox reaction, and ion recognition, among others. The design of multistate (including several switchable units) and multifunctional (triggered with different stimuli) systems has also motivated a large amount of work, aiming at the improvement of the storage capacity of optical memories or the diversification of the addressability of the devices. In complement to the synthesis of the compounds and the characterization of their NLO responses by means of hyper-Rayleigh scattering, quantum chemical calculations play a key role in the design of molecular switches with high first hyperpolarizability contrasts. Through the latter, we can gain a fundamental understanding of the various factors governing the efficiency of the switches. These are not easily accessible experimentally, and include donor/acceptor contributions, frequency dispersion, and solvent effects. In this Account, we illustrate the similarities of the experimental and theoretical tools to design and characterize highly efficient NLO switches but also the difficulties in comparing them. After providing a critical overview of the different theoretical approaches used for evaluating the first hyperpolarizabilities, we report two case studies in which theoretical simulations have provided guidelines to design NLO switches with improved efficiencies. The first example presents the joint theoretical/experimental characterization of a new family of multi-addressable NLO switches based on benzazolo-oxazolidine derivatives. The second focuses on the photoinduced commutation in merocyanine-spiropyran systems, where the significant NLO contrast could be exploited for metal cation identification in a new generation of multiusage sensing devices. Finally, we illustrate the impact of environment on the NLO switching properties, with examples based on the keto-enol equilibrium in anil derivatives. Through these representative examples, we demonstrate that the rational design of molecular NLO switches, which combines experimental and theoretical approaches, has reached maturity. Future challenges consist in extending the investigated objects to supramolecular architectures involving several NLO-responsive units, in order to exploit their cooperative effects for enhancing the NLO responses and contrasts.

Nonlinear Optical Molecular Switches as Selective Cation Sensors

This work demonstrates that the recognition of cations by molecular switches can give rise to large contrasts of the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, which can therefore be used as a powerful and multi-usage detection tool. The proof of concept is given by evidencing, by means of ab initio calculations, the ability of spiropyran/merocyanine systems to selectively detect alkali, alkaline earth, and transition-metal cations.

Two‐Way Molecular Switches with Large Nonlinear Optical Contrast

Molecular switches: Highly efficient acido- and photoswitchable frequency doublers (see scheme) based on the indolinooxazolidine core are studied by means of hyper-Rayleigh experiments and quantum-chemical calculations.To optimize the nonlinear optical (NLO) contrast, a series of indolinooxazolidine derivatives with electron-withdrawing substituents in the para position on the indolinic residue have been synthesized. Their linear and nonlinear optical properties have been characterized by UV-visible absorption and hyper-Rayleigh scattering measurements, as well as by ab initio calculations. The two-way photo- or pH-triggered switching mechanism has been demonstrated by comparing the absorption spectra of the zwitterionic and protonated open forms (POF). Hyper-Rayleigh measurements have revealed that the second-order NLO contrast between the closed indolinooxazolidine and the open pi-conjugated colored forms remain very large upon substitution. Theory and measurements show that for the POFs the amplitude of the first hyperpolarizability follows the Hammett parameters of the withdrawing groups. However, because the measurements are performed in resonance, to recover this behavior, elaborate procedures including homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadenings, as well as single-mode vibronic structures are necessary to extrapolate to the static limit.

Reference molecules for nonlinear optics: a joint experimental and theoretical investigation.

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) experiments and quantum chemical calculations are combined to investigate the second-order nonlinear optical responses of a series of reference molecules, namely, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, trichloroacetonitrile, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane. The multipolar decomposition of the first hyperpolarizability tensor through the use of the spherical harmonics formalism is employed to highlight the impact of the symmetry of the molecular scatterers on their nonlinear optical responses. It is demonstrated that HRS is a technique of choice to probe the molecular symmetry of the compounds. Coupled-cluster calculations performed at the coupled-cluster level with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples in combination with highly extended basis sets and including environment effects by using the polarizable continuum model qualitatively reproduce the molecular first hyperpolarizabilities and depolarization ratios of the molecular scatterers.

Large second-harmonic generation of thermally poled sodium borophosphate glasses

Second harmonic generation (SHG) has been obtained in a rich in sodium niobium orophosphate glass by a thermal poling treatment. The thermally poled glass SHG signal has been studied through an original analysis of both transmitted and reflected polarized Maker-fringe patterns. Therefore, the second order nonlinear optical (NLO) efficiency was estimated from the simulation of the Maker-fringe patterns with a stepwise decreasing profile from the anode surface. A reproducible chi(2) susceptibility value as high as 5.0 +/-0.3 pm/V was achieved at the anode side. The nonlinear layer, found to be sodium-depleted up to 5 microm deep inside the anode side, identical to the simulated nonlinear zone thickness, indicates a complex space-charge-migration/ nonlinear glass matrix response process.

General Maker-fringe ellipsometric analyses in multilayer nonlinear and linear anisotropic optical media

A general new 4(n+1)×4(n+1) matrix formulation of Maker fringes applicable to any anisotropic material containing n layers, convenient and straightforward for experimental data analyses, is proposed. The treatment of the transmitted and reflected harmonic waves includes the contribution of anisotropic one-photon absorption for the fundamental and harmonic waves under the assumption of no pump depletion and leads to a complete analysis of any linearly or elliptically polarized harmonic signal recorded under various incident polarization configurations. In the framework of the proposed model, we report detailed results of Maker fringes in various samples, for instance, in one and two z-cut quartz plates separated by a controlled air gap.

Theoretical investigation of the dynamic first hyperpolarizability of DHA–VHF molecular switches

The contrast of second-order nonlinear optical response in the dihydroazulene (DHA)-vinylheptafulvene (VHF) equilibrium has been investigated as a function of the nature of the substituent (R) on the phenyl ring by means of quantum chemistry calculations including electron correlation, frequency dispersion, and solvent effects. By considering the hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) response, the contrast for R = H and R = CH3 between the DHA and VHF forms is larger than 5 while the contrast between the cis and transVHF forms is close to 1. Adding the NH2 donor group in para position of the phenyl leads to a substantial increase of the HRS first hyperpolarizability of the three forms, which is detrimental to the contrast. Then, in the case of the NO2 acceptor group, a contrast is recovered because the HRS first hyperpolarizability of the DHA form is about 2–3 times larger than for both VHF forms. These variations of first hyperpolarizability as a function of the substituents as well as the associated contrasts have been explained in terms of donor/acceptor strengths and geometrical parameters.

Synthesis and Nonlinear Optical Properties of a Peripherally Functionalized Hyperbranched Polymer by DR1 Chromophores

The first peripheral postfunctionalization of a hyperbranched polyimide by nonlinear optic chromophores (DR1 derivative) was achieved using two different routes. The first one consists in the esterification of the terminal carboxylic acid groups, whereas the second is based on copper-catalyzed Huisgen reaction of the terminal propargylic ester groups. The resulting polymers display good solubility in classical organic solvents and good filmability because thick films can be prepared (up to 2.7 mum). The second-order nonlinear optical properties were measured by SHG at 1064 nm and we show that these hyperbranched polymers exhibit good poling efficiency and good thermal stability since the electro-optic activity remains stable up to 130 degrees C. These results illustrate the potential of hyperbranched polymers to host second-order nonlinear optical chromophores to replace dendrimers or classical linear polymers generally used in this area.

Oxazines: A New Class of Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Switches

A combined experimental-theoretical investigation has revealed that oxazine-based compounds are multiaddressable, multistate, and multifunctional molecular switches exhibiting contrasts of both linear and second-order nonlinear optical properties. The switching properties are particularly large when the substituent is a donor group. In this study, the cleavage of the C-O bond at the junction of the indole and oxazine cycles (of the closed a forms) is acido-triggered, leading to an open form (b(+)) characterized by larger first hyperpolarizabilities (βHRS) and smaller excitation energies than in the closed form. These results are confirmed and interpreted utilizing ab initio calculations that have been carried out on a broad set of compounds to unravel the role of the substituent. With respect to acceptor groups, oxazines bearing donor groups are characterized not only by larger βHRS and βHRS contrast ratios but also by smaller excitation energies, larger opening-induced charge transfer, and reduction of the bond length alternation, as well as smaller Gibbs energies of the opening reaction. Compared to protonated open forms (b(+)), calculations on the zwitterionic open forms (b) have pointed out similarities in the long-wavelength UV/vis absorption spectra, whereas their βHRS values might differ strongly as a function of the substituent. Indeed, the open forms present two NLOphores, the indoleninium-substituent entity and the nitrophenol (present in the protonated open form, b(+)) or nitrophenolate (present in the zwitterionic open form, b) moiety. Then, nitrophenolate displays a larger first hyperpolarizability than nitrophenol and the β tensor of the two entities might reinforce or cancel each other.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the Raman and hyper-Raman spectra of acetonitrile and its derivatives

The Raman and hyper-Raman spectra of acetonitrile and its deuterated analog have been investigated by combining experimental analysis and theoretical interpretation. It has been observed that the Raman spectra can easily be reproduced at both the Hartree-Fock and Moller-Plesset second-order levels of approximation and that for these fundamental transitions, inclusion of anharmonicity effects is not essential. On the other hand, the hyper-Raman spectra are more difficult to simulate and interpret. In particular, electron correlation has to be included in order to describe properly the intensity of the CN stretching mode. Then, a pseudo-C(infinity v) symmetry was assumed to better fit the experimental observations. This accounts for the fact that the a1- and e-symmetry modes correspond to time-decoupled vibrations. The e-symmetry modes, associated with nuclear motions perpendicular to the molecular axis are indeed subject to relaxation processes and, except the CCN bending mode, not visible in the hyper-Raman spectra of acetonitrile or of its deuterated analog. This assumption is supported by the gradual decrease of the phenomenon when going from acetonitrile to trichloroacetonitrile, where the presence of the heavier chlorine atoms in the latter reduces the relaxation processes.