Synthesis of a new poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) derivative containing disperse red 1

This study presents the synthesis and the second-order nonlinear optical property of the poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) derivative containing Disperse Red 1 as a side chain of the phenylene ring, named poly(2-butoxy-5-(2′-{ethyl[4′-[4′- nitrophenylazo]phenyl]-amino}ethoxy)-1, 4-phenylenevinylene). The amino group could be used as a powerful electron donor group of dipoles and the nitro group as an electron acceptor, which gave a higher β value than those of incorporated chromophores in PPV as before. This higher β value and the rigidity of the PPV backbone were expected to exhibit a large second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility and temporal stability of nonlinearity.