Effect of UV-Irradiation and ZnO Nanoparticles on Nonlinear Optical Response of Specific Photochromic Polymers

A series of methacrylic styrylquinoline polymers have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and nonlinear optical (NLO) investigations. The NLO properties of studied polymer compounds in the form of thin films prepared by a spin coating method have been investigated by means of second and third harmonic generation via Maker fringe setup with a laser source at 1064 nm and a pulse duration of 30 ps. The results show strong second harmonic signal dependence on polarization configurations. This second harmonic generation (SHG) response was enhanced by UV-irradiation at 366 nm and doping by ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) (100 nm), while the opposite effect was achieved for a third harmonic generation experiment. Thus, values of second and third order nonlinear susceptibilities were determined by theoretical calculations based on comparative models. The remarkable NLO results presented in this paper expose potential optoelectronic and photonic applications.