High Photoref ractive Gain in Nematic Liquid Crystals Doped with Electron Donor and Acceptor Molecules

摘要

Liquid crystalline composite materials have been prepared that are strongly photore-fractive. Nematic liquid crystals were doped with both electron donor and electron acceptor molecules that undergo facile, photoinduced, electron transfer reactions to yield mobile ions. A photorefractive gain ratio of 1.88 was observed. This gain ratio was achieved with low applied electric fields (0.4 kilovolts per centimeter) requiring only a 1.5-volt battery and low light intensities (100 milliwatts per square centimeter) in samples 37 to 88 micrometers thick that showed no loss in gain over a 6-month period.