Project Title:
Space Processing of Biopolymers for Nonlinear Optical Applications
15.01-3184
910614
Space Processing of Biopolymers for Nonlinear Optical Applications
Cambridge Scientific, Inc.
195 Common Street
Belmont
MA
02178
Debra J.
Trantolo
617-484-3184
MSFC
NAS8-39308
292
15.01-3184
910614
Abstract:
Space Processing of Biopolymers for Nonlinear Optical Applications
Defect-free crystals that exhibit optical nonlinearities are of great interest. Recent
development of polymers with large second- and third-order nonlinear effects has
generated interest in the potential of polymeric nonlinear optical materials (NLOM).
The ideal NLOM would have a large nonlinear response, extremely low switching thresholds,
and rapid switching times, as well as amenability to defect-free fabrication. Crystals
grown in space have been shown to be of higher quality than Earth-grown crystals
because more defect-free specimens are obtained in the absence of gravity-driven
convection. Defect-free organic crystals are of interest because they can exhibit
high optical nonlinearities. However, they tend to be brittle and cannot be as easily
fabricated into thin films or fibers as can polymer analogs. The synthesis and fabrication
of polymeric material for NLO is currently an active area of research. However, little
attention has been paid to the growth of high-quality macromolecular films and/or
fibers in space. It is envisioned that polymers having a controlled supermolecular
structure and morphology could be even more promising candidates as NLOM. Phase I
will establish the feasibility of processing biopolymers, materials with known supramolecular
structure, under zero-gravity conditions in order to optimize optical nonlinearity
effects. The particular importance of understanding polymer-processing conditions
as well as new biopolymeric structures will be identified.
NLO materials have broad applications in opto-electronic interconnects, spatial light
modulators in optical computing systems, memory storage systems, and protection of
visual sensors. These applications are of immediate interest to NASA, telecommunications
industries, and advanced knowledge-based systems.
biopolymers, second harmonic generation, space processing, nonlinear optics