New application for a well known molecule: PRODAN as an attractive, optically second order nonlinear chromophore

In this paper we present 6-propionyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (PRODAN) as an interesting optically second order nonlinear chromophore. The molecular first hyperpolarizability, β, measured using the Electric Field-Induced Second Harmonic (EFISH) generation technique, is compared with that of the well known 4- nitroaniline (PNA) at fundamental wavelengths of 1064 nm and 1907 nm. The relatively large β value of PRODAN is shown to be thermally stable up to a treatment temperature of 200°C. The experimental measurements are complemented by semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations. Also, the value of the macroscopic second order susceptibility, x⁽²⁾, of films produced by doping PRODAN into a polymeric matrix and measured using the angular dependent second harmonic generation method, is reported. These measurements were performed on films permanently poled under corona discharge in an in situ electrical poling experiment.