Self-assembled LbL opto-electronics from maleic anhydride copolymers

The layer-by-layer technique was applied to the fabrication of non-linear optical films. Poly(maleic anhydride-methyl methacrylate) was first modified with disperse red 1. This chromophore-containing polymer was assembled into multilayer thin films by electrostatic interaction with a polycation. Regular film growth during absorption cycles was proved by means of UV spectroscopy. Optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) was clearly observed from the films prepared using maleic acid copolymer containing DRl. The SHG signal increased with the number of chromophore-containing polymer layers up to 5 layers, while further assembly reduced the signal.