Novel holographic composites based on ionic smectic liquid crystals and glasses of metal alkanoates

Dynamic holographic properties under the action of nanosecond laser pulses are investigated in novel composites based on lyotropic ionic liquid crystals, ionic smectic glasses with dye impurities and colored ionic smectic glasses of cobalt decanoate. Different mechanisms of optical susceptibility are found for different composites. The holographic gratings are characterized by fast time of recording, fast time grating relaxation, high spacial resolution, negligible small thermal grating. Oriented smectic glasses are novel matrixes to operate with "pure" optical nonlinearity of used impurities. Switching on/off holographic recording by dc voltage is obtained in lyotropic ionic liquid crystals with electro-chromic impurities. The materials are perspective for dynamic photonic elements operated with pulsed laser excitation.