Synthesis and Characterization of Chalcone Analogs with Potential Application in Nonlinear Optical Systems
nonlinear optics; electrical susceptibility; hyperpolarizability
Interest in nonlinear optics has grown tremendously in recent years, mainly due to the telecommunication sector's need for high-bandwidth optical processing and switching devices, in order to meet the needs of information and data transmission, as well as the proliferation of sophisticated laser tools.
Nonlinear optics has been focusing its interest in the interactions of electromagnetic fields with various means to produce new fields altered in phase, frequency, amplitude, or other propagation characteristics of the incident fields. Recent efforts in chemical research have been directed towards providing second and third-order non-linear responses in organic materials.
The electronic origins of nonlinear optical effects in organic systems are described with special emphasis on second and third-order nonlinear optical effects, which are directly correlated with macroscopic hyperpolarization induced by the propagation of light in the environment, as a consequence of the crystalline symmetry of the systems organic.
In recent years, a large number of research studies have been carried out with organic crystals, particularly chalcone analogs, due to their attractive nonlinear optical properties (NLO), resulting from their π conjugate system, which provides a large charge transfer axis.
As examples of the application of NLO using chalcones in electro-optical devices, we can highlight data storage and laser applications, sensors, optical communication, optical switches and limiters, dynamic holography, photodynamic therapy, two-photon fluorescence microscopy, and three-dimensional microfabrication.