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Among a variety of diverse host molecules distinguished by specific characteristics, the cucurbit[n]uril (CB) family stands out, being widely known for the attractive properties of its representatives along with their increasingly expanding area of applications. The presented herewith density functional theory (DFT)-based study is inspired by some recent studies exploring CBs as a key component in multifunctional hydrogels with applications in materials science, thus considering CB-assisted supramolecular polymeric hydrogels (CB-SPHs), a new class of 3D cross-linked polymer materials. The research systematically investigates the inclusion process between the most applied representative of the cavitand family CB[7] and a series of laser dye molecules as guests, as well as the possible encapsulation of a model side chain from the photoanisotropic polymer PAZO and its sodium-containing salt. The obtained results shed light on the most significant factors that play a key role in the recognition process, such as binding mode, charge, and dielectric constant of the solvent. The observed findings provide valuable insights at a molecular level for the design of dye–CB[7] systems in various environments, with potential applications in intriguing and prosperous fields like photonics and material science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we study the polarization properties of diffraction gratings recorded in thin films of the azopolymer PAZO (poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzene sulfonamido]-1,2-ethanediyl, sodium salt]) using digital polarization holography. Using two quarter-wave plates, the phase retardation of each pixel of the SLM is converted into the azimuth rotation of linearly polarized light. When recording from the azopolymer side of the sample, significant surface relief amplitude is observed with atomic force microscopy. In contrast, recording from the substrate side of the sample allows the reduction of the surface relief modulation and the obtaining of polarization gratings with characteristics close to an ideal grating, recorded with two orthogonal circular polarizations. This can be achieved even with a four-pixel period of grating, as demonstrated by our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During polarization holographic recording in azopolymer thin films, usually together with the volume anisotropic grating, a surface relief grating (SRG) is also formed. By using two consecutive exposures, it is possible to obtain a two-dimensional (2D) grating. To the best of our knowledge, the polarization properties of such gratings have not been studied yet. To determine the influence of the surface relief on the polarization selectivity of the 2D gratings, we propose two methods to suppress the SRG formation: by varying the recording conditions or varying the sample structure. In these experiments we have used the commercially available azopolymer PAZO, poly[1-4-(3-carboxy-4-hydrophenylazo) benzene sulfonamido]-1,2-ethanediyl, sodium salt] to perform the polarization holographic recording using a 442 nm He-Cd laser. As indicated by our results, when the surface relief is present, it strongly dominates the response of the 2D grating and it behaves almost as a scalar polarization insensitive grating. Conversely, when the SRG formation is suppressed, the polarization properties of the 2D grating in all four diffracted orders are very well pronounced. In this way, we demonstrate that we can easily control SRG formation and, if desired, obtain 2D grating with high surface relief modulation, or alternatively record polarization-selective 2D gratings with virtually no surface relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azobenzene and azobenzene-containing polymers are intensively studied in the last decades because of their high potential for various applications: polarization holography, holographic optical polarization-sensitive elements, high-density storage by multiplexing, ptychography, etc. In this article are reported studies based on the optical response of azopolymer poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzenesulfonamido]-1,2-ethan-ediyl, sodium salt], (PAZO) thin films with embedded Au spherical nanoparticles with different sizes. We found that effective medium approximations (Maxwell-Garnett and Bruggeman) are not satisfactory in evaluation of films optical response. The complex refractive index of the composite film is evaluated as a dependence on three factors: 1) the PAZO matrix complex refractive index; 2) volume scattering efficiency of the Au particle and 3) the filling factor of the composite film. The scattering of a single particle in the azopolymer matrix is calculated using the exact vector Maxwell equations. The particles with mean radius 10, 30 and 50 nm are treated as ensemble of non-aggregated spheres. Multiple scattering by individual particles was ignored. Three specific filling factors of 0.008, 0.010 and 0.030 are considered. The optical transmittance and absorption of a 440 nm thick composite film were evaluated. The algorithm is efficient and the results are robust. The photoinduced spectral response of the composite layers is under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate parameters associated with optical data storage in a variety of amorphous side-chain azobenzene-containing polyesters denoted as E1aX. The polyesters possess a common cyano-substituted azobenzene chromophore as a side chain, but differ in their main-chain polyester composition. Seventeen different polymers from the E1aX family divided into four classes, depending on the type of the main-chain substituent (one-, two-, and three-ring aromatic or alicyclic) have been thoroughly investigated. Various parameters characterizing the photoinduced birefringence in these materials, such as the response time, thermal and light stability, and long-term stability under ambient light at room temperature have been measured. Each of these parameters is quantitatively represented and therefore it is possible to make a clear comparison between the properties of the polymers. The results indicate that the long-term stability at ambient temperature is closely related to the thermal stability of the photoinduced birefringence. A strong correlation has also been found between the response time and the stability of the induced anisotropy toward illumination with unpolarized white light. One of the classes of E1aX polymers characterized by two-ring aromatic substituent in the main chain is a good candidate for optical data storage media. A recording energy of approximately 2 J/c[m.sup.2] is sufficient to induce high refractive-index modulations of [DELTA]n = 0.13 in these materials, which is retained even at elevated temperatures (> 130 [degrees]C). Long-term stability of greater than one year for the induced anisotropy has also been achieved. OCIS codes: 160.1190, 160.4890, 160.5470, 210.4810, 260.1440, 260.5130.

Azobenzene and azobenzene-containing polymers are intensively studied because of their high potential for many novel applications in polarization holography, design of optical polarization-sensitive elements, optical storage, all-optical switching, diffractive optical elements, etc. We study in the paper a thin hybrid layer composed of a polymer matrix and embedded gold nanoparticles. For a polymer matrix we used polymer poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo) benzenesulfonamido]-1,2-ethan-ediyl, sodium salt], denoted shortly as PAZO. Film reflectance and transmittance strongly depend on the morphology of nanoparticles and the composite film filling factor. Herein, we present essential details concerning the estimation of the film complex refractive index. The embedded particles are considered as ensemble of non-aggregated spheres with no multiple scattering by individual particles. The complex refractive index of the composite film is evaluated from the volume scattering efficiency of the Au particles, the PAZO matrix complex refractive index and the filling factor. Embedded Au spheres with ensemble mean diameters of 20, 60 and 100 nm are considered as well as filling factors of 0.008, 0.010 and 0.030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composite materials based on azo polymers doped with metal particles attract considerable attention due to their advantageous electrical and optical properties. The present communication reports results from measuring the photoinduced birefringence in composite films of the azopolymer (poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo) benzenesulfonamido]-1,2-ethanediyl, sodium salt]), shortly PAZO, doped with metal complexes of Cu(II) 3-amino- 5,5'-dimethylhydantoin (CLP) and Ni(II) 3-amino-5,5'-dimethylhydantoin (NLP) of different concentrations. The thin film materials are prepared via spin coating. The thickness of the samples is in the range between 500 nm and 800 nm. The photoinduced birefringence is measured by a classical polarimetric setup, where a vertically polarized He-Cd laser emitting at λ = 442 nm is used as a pump laser, while a DPSS laser emitting at λ = 635 nm is used as a probe laser. The influence of the dopants concentration on the maximal induced birefringence and the time of response are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]