Search

Dipolar NLO chromophores with an interposed conjugated tetraene segment in which all but four of the methine groups are incorporated into a tetrahydronaphthalene framework have been synthesized and characterized. This conformation-locking approach furnishes NLO chromophores possessing an enhanced thermal stability. X-ray crystallographic data indicate that the polyenic chain of these molecules exhibits a near-planar all-trans conformation in the solid state. EFISH measurements show that these conformationally locked tetraenic chromophores exhibit large second-order optical nonlinearities (μ·β ~4000 × 10^-48 cm⁶ at 1907 nm), although the nonlinearities of the corresponding “unlocked” analogues are slightly larger.