Improved second-harmonic generation from Langmuir–Blodgett films of hemicyanine dyes
THE phenomenon of second-harmonic generation (SHG), whereby a material under illumination generates light at twice the incident frequency, is finding increasing use in optical signal processing. The principal requirement for SHG is a non-centrosymmetric structure; in organic materials, this can be achieved through the use of Langmuir–Blodgett films, which offer control of structure at the molecular level. SHG has been demonstrated in films composed of hemicyanine dyes of the general formula D—C6H4— CH=CH—C5H4N+— RX-, where D is an electron donor, R is usually a hydrophobic alkyl chain and X- is a counterion such as Br- or I-. The frequency-doubling properties of these films are sensitive to the choice of donor group1,2 the extent of molecular aggregation3,4and the type of packing5–7 Mixed films, in which the dye molecules are interspersed with an inert phase, have been used to reduce aggregation and consequently enhance SHG3,8, but these films have the potential disadvantage of phase separation. Here we show that the use of an amphiphilic anion as both counterion and spacer molecule gives rise to an ordered segregation of the hemicyanine chromophores, and greatly enhanced SHG.
Optical fibers coated with non-linear Langmuir-Blodgett films☆
Abstract We report second harmonic generation (SHG) in structures composed of optical fiber cores coated with Langmuir-Blodgett non-linear films. Such structures may serve as attractive alternatives to currently available coated slab non-linear waveguides. The fabrication of frequency doublers, couplers and modulators on optical fibers would eliminate the difficult problems of coupling from planar signal conditioners, sensors and detectors onto fiber transmission systems. In addition, the small size of fibers allows for the high energy densities required for non-linear interactions to exist over large distances. Our results confirm that fibers can be coated and the deposition ratio monitored, provided that a sufficient number are dipped simultaneously. The dependence of SHG on distance as well as the variation with number of layers for a hemicyanine dye deposited on multimode fiber cores are discussed.
First diamino Daphniphyllum alkaloid, daphnipaxinin, with an unprecedented heterohexacyclic skeleton from Daphniphyllum paxianum.
[structure: see text] The first diamino Daphniphyllum alkaloid, daphnipaxinin (1), with an unprecedented hexacyclic fused skeleton, along with a known alkaloid, daphnicyclidin A (2), was isolated from the stem of Daphniphyllum paxianum Rosenth. The structure and absolute stereochemistry of 1 were established by spectral methods, especially two-dimensional NMR techniques and CD analysis.