Diarylethenes for Memories and Switches

Organic–inorganic hybrid materials do not represent only a creative alternative to design new materials and compounds for academic research, but their improved or unusual features allow the development of innovative industrial applications. Nowadays, most of the hybrid materials that have already entered the market are synthesised and processed by using conventional soft chemistry based routes developed in the eighties. These processes are based on: a) the copolymerisation of functional organosilanes, macromonomers, and metal alkoxides, b) the encapsulation of organic components within sol–gel derived silica or metallic oxides, c) the organic functionalisation of nanofillers, nanoclays or other compounds with lamellar structures, etc. The chemical strategies (self-assembly, nanobuilding block approaches, hybrid MOF (Metal Organic Frameworks), integrative synthesis, coupled processes, bio-inspired strategies, etc.) offered nowadays by academic research allow, through an intelligent tuned coding, the development of a new vectorial chemistry, able to direct the assembling of a large variety of structurally well defined nano-objects into complex hybrid architectures hierarchically organised in terms of structure and functions. Looking to the future, there is no doubt that these new generations of hybrid materials, born from the very fruitful activities in this research field, will open a land of promising applications in many areas: optics, electronics, ionics, mechanics, energy, environment, biology, medicine for example as membranes and separation devices, functional smart coatings, fuel and solar cells, catalysts, sensors, etc.

Applications of hybrid organic–inorganic nanocomposites

Photoinduced motions in azo-containing polymers.

Switches, and Actuators Masahiro Irie,*,† Tuyoshi Fukaminato,‡ Kenji Matsuda, and Seiya Kobatake †Research Center for Smart Molecules, Rikkyo University, Nishi-Ikebukuro 3-34-1, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan ‡Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University, Sugimoto 3-3-138, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan

Photochromism of Diarylethene Molecules and Crystals: Memories, Switches, and Actuators

Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Photochromic Molecules and Materials.

We have developed new transparent photochromic hybrid organic−inorganic materials in which the photochromic group belongs to the polymer network. These materials involving chemically bonded dithienylethene derivatives were prepared by the sol−gel process in the form of thin films a few microns thick. The thickness and refractive index of the sol−gel films either at 633 or 785 nm were determined both in the colored and discolored state by using the attenuated total reflection (ATR) method. Functionalized sol−gel films showed a large refractive index change in a nonabsorbing spectral region:  Δn ≈ 4 × 10-2 at 785 nm. This important variation due to the high photochrome content allowed us to design optical components used in the field of wave guiding.

Large and Stable Refractive Index Change in Photochromic Hybrid Materials

Photoinscription of Surface Relief Gratings on Azo‐Hybrid Gels

We report on the synthesis and the optical characterization of a photorefractive sol-gel material which contains nonlinear azo chromophore and carbazole charge transporting molecules. Both of these functional groups are covalently attached to the silica based backbone. Thin sol-gel films exhibit stable optically nonlinear properties: the electro-optic coefficient r13 measured at 633 nm is found to be 17 pm/V one day after corona poling and 15 pm/V after three weeks and over a period of several months. Photorefractivity is demonstrated by two beam coupling experiments without external applied electric field. Sol-gel films present a stable photorefractive memory effect with a net internal gain of 200 cm−1.

/pdf/stable-photorefractive-memory-effect-in-sol-gel-materials-3ecmac6aie.pdf

Bruno Darracq

Papers

Large and Stable Refractive Index Change in Photochromic Hybrid Materials

Photoinscription of Surface Relief Gratings on Azo‐Hybrid Gels

Stable photorefractive memory effect in sol-gel materials

Effect of chromophore-chromophore electrostatic interactions in the NLO response of functionalized organic-inorganic sol-gel materials

Novel photorefractive sol-gel materials