Large Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity of Self-Assembled Porphyrin Oligomers

• Published in: Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 124; no. 1; pp. 22 - 23
• Main Authors: Ogawa, Kazuya, Zhang, Tieqiao, Yoshihara, Keitaro, Kobuke, Yoshiaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 09.01.2002
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Optical materials; Optics; Photonic bandgap materials; Physics; Oligomerization; Nitrogen heterocycle; Organic ligand; Transition elements Complexes; Integrated optoelectronics; Optical Kerr effect; Optical properties; Optical materials; Metalloporphyrin; Photonic switching systems; Zinc Complexes; Nonlinear optics; Optical susceptibility
• ISSN: 0002-7863; 1520-5126
• DOI: 10.1021/ja0169015

Third-order nonlinear optical properties of two series of self-assembled porphyrin wires, one being terminated by zinc porphyrin and the other by free base porphyrin, were measured by femtosecond time-resolved optical Kerr effect. The hyperpolarizability values of the latter series were extremely large ranging from 10-30 to 10-29 esu, 10 times larger than the former. The behavior is accounted for by the contribution of terminal free base porphyrin to enhance the molecular polarization by acceptor nature toward central metalloporphyrin array.