Push-pull chromophores aggregation in SiO2 sol-gel films doped with silver nanoparticles

Sol-gel films used for second-order non-linear optical applications often contain some organic molecules working as spacers between chro- mophores with large permanent dipolar moments. The spacers improve the optical quality of the films because they avoid the chromophores aggregation. We propose th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: A. Franco, G. Brusatin, M. Guglielmi, V. Renteria, G. Valverde-Aguilar, J.A. García-Macedo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:México
Institución:Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Repositorio:Redalyc-UNAM
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:57030389011
Acceso en línea:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57030389011
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Física, Astronomía y Matemáticas
UV
Sol
push
Keywords
gel films
Descripción
Sumario:Sol-gel films used for second-order non-linear optical applications often contain some organic molecules working as spacers between chro- mophores with large permanent dipolar moments. The spacers improve the optical quality of the films because they avoid the chromophores aggregation. We propose the use of silver nanoparticles as good spacers, instead of organic molecules. In this work the effect of silver nanoparticles on the arrangement of push-pull chromophores inside SiO 2 sol-gel films is investigated by UV-vis optical absorption spec- troscopy. Key variables for a good performance of spacers are: their polarizability, their concentration with respect to the concentration of the chromophores, as well as the temperature of the system. Disperse Red 1 chromophores, well known push-pull chromophores, arrange themselves forming H-aggregates when they are inside films in high enough concentrations. Those aggregates are clearly detected by UV-vis optical absorption spectroscopy, where they show an absorbance peak close to 404 nm. That peak disappears as the temperature of the films and/or the concentration of the spacers and/or the polarizability of the spacers increase. A possible electrostatic shielding between the chromophores, created by the spacers, makes us to think about the possibility to use metallic nanoparticles as a new kind of molecular spacer.