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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The overall objective of this project is the development of NLO-active materials with optical clarity and mechanical strength. These materials are intended for laser eye protection. By combining χ2 and χ3 optical properties, the intensity of incident laser radiation may be efficiently reduced. Using an in-plane poling technique, aligned films of liquid crystal poly(benzyl-Lglutamate), PBLG, were made which showed higher second harmonic generation (SHG) values compared to quartz. Silver sols in the 10-90 nm diameter size range were complexed with tricyanovinyl aniline, TCVA, resulting in composite PBLG/Ag Sol films with higher than at least an order of magnitude of χ3 values materials such as polydiacetylenes and nitroanilines. These polymeric NLO materials offer definite advantages in terms of easy processability into films for the manufacture of the optical elements necessary for laser eye protection.