| Abstract: | The synthesis and properties of six hydrazone‐functionalized crosslinked polymers possessing stable nonlinear optics (NLO) properties are presented. First, a series of six hydroxy‐functionalized, NLO‐active hydrazone chromophores were synthesized. These chromophores were then grafted via its hydroxy functionality on an epoxy polymer to obtain the six NLO‐active soluble prepolymers. The grafting reaction yielded multiple secondary hydroxyl sites, which were used for further crosslinking by formulation of the prepolymer with a blocked polyisocyanate crosslinker. This formulation was spin‐coated on glass slides to form 2–2.5 μ thick defect‐free transparent films. The films were corona‐poled above their glass‐transition temperatures to align the chromophores in a noncentrosymmetric fashion and were simultaneously cured. The thermal characteristics of the second‐order nonlinearity of the six polymers were compared to illustrate the key structure–property relationships underlying the performance of the films in terms of NLO activity and thermal stability. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 770–781, 2004 |
