Inclusion tuning of nonlinear optical materials: SHG of organic guests in molecular sieve hosts

Abstract The use of inclusion for the development of new nonlinear optical materials is reviewed and a study of the relative intensities of second harmonic generation (SHG) in sorbate complexes of p -nitroaniline (NA) and 2-methyl- p -nitroaniline (MNA) in molecular sieve hosts is presented. An SHG signal ten times larger than that of any previously reported organic or organometallic inclusion complex is observed. NA in ALPO-5 complexes gave a maximum SHG of 630 (relative to quartz) at 13 wt.% NA. Pure NA has no SHG signal. With MNA in ALPO-5 (13 wt.%) the SHG signal is equal to that of the ALPO-5 hosts. X-ray powder diffraction and spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the inclusion nanocomposites. Hydrogen bonding is found to play an important role in SHG production for NA.