Conformation optical properties

Ah initio calculations of polymer properties are either simulations of oligomers or band-structure calculations. Properties often computed with ah initio methods are conformational energies, polarizability, hyperpolarizability, optical properties, dielectric properties, and charge distributions. Ah initio calculations are also used as a spot check to verify the accuracy of molecular mechanics methods for the polymer of interest. Such calculations are used to parameterize molecular mechanics force fields when existing methods are insulficient, which does not happen too often. 

Anisotropic behaviour is also exhibited in optical properties and orientation effects can be observed and to some extent measured by birefringence methods. In such oriented materials the molecules are in effect frozen in an unstable state and they will normally endeavour to take up a more coiled conformation due to rotation about the single bonds. If an oriented sample is heated up the molecules will start to coil as soon as they possess sufficient energy and the mass will often distort. Because of this oriented materials usually have a lower heat distortion temperature than non-oriented polymers. 

In order to enhance the understanding of the properties in polymers, iterative pathways have been chosen for the synthesis of structurally perfect molecules. Data obtained from the analysis of precisely defined oligomers and polymers may relate chain length and conformation to physical, electronic and optical properties. Statistical polymerization processes are not suitable as they yield polydisperse material. 

A Ca2+-ion selective rigid -flexible - rigid type bichromophoric sensors based on the conformation liable bis-squaraine dyes 27 works on the principle of Cation-steered folding, which leads to dramatic perturbations in the optical properties as a result of exciton interactions [87],... 

Model analogs of the green type chromophore HBI have been chemically synthe-tized in different forms carrying blocking groups in place of the protein polypeptide chain [21, 24, 68, 69]. However, the covalent structure of HBI does not uniquely define its optical properties, because the molecule undergoes several protonation and conformational equilibria that directly affect its electronic structure. 

Another possible source of modification of the HBI optical properties arises from cis-trans (or, more properly, Z-E) isomerization around its exocyclic ethylene bridge (dihedral angle x as depicted in Fig. 3a) [74, 75]. The absorption spectrum of trans HBI in different solvents is red-shifted by 5-10 nm compared to that of the cis conformation [76]. While the trans conformation is thermodynamically unfavorable and contributes only a minor population at room temperature, cis-trans isomerization seems to take place regardless of the chromophore ionization state, and involves a relatively low energy barrier of about 50 kJ/mol [75], a value that appears significantly lower than initially predicted from quantum mechanics [77, 78]. 

When a strong static electric field is applied across a medium, its dielectric and optical properties become anisotropic. When a low frequency analyzing electric field is used to probe the anisotropy, it is called the nonlinear dielectric effect (NLDE) or dielectric saturation (17). It is the low frequency analogue of the Kerr effect. The interactions which cause the NLDE are similar to those of EFLS. For a single flexible polar molecule, the external field will influence the molecule in two ways firstly, it will interact with the total dipole moment and orient it, secondly, it will perturb the equilibrium conformation of the molecule to favor the conformations with the larger dipole moment. Thus, the orientation by the field will cause a decrease while the polarization of the molecule will cause an... 

Control of Optical Properties and Global-Local Conformations... 

Nilsson KPR, Rydberg J, Baltzer L, Inganas O (2003) Self-assembly of synthetic peptides control conformation and optical properties of a zwitterionic polythiophene derivative. Proc Natl Acad Sci 100 10170-10174... 

Fig. 5 Chemical structure (a), absorption (a) and emission (b) spectra of POWT in different buffer solutions pH 2 (open diamond), pH 5 (open square), pH 8 (triangle) and pH 11 (x).(c) The charge of the zwitter-ionic side chain, schematic drawing of proposed backbone conformations and optical properties of POWT at different pH [9]...

Bulk matter, rather than particles, is the subject of Part 2. In Chapter 9 we discuss classical theories of optical properties based on idealized models. Such models rarely conform strictly to reality, however, so Chapter 10 presents measurements for three representative materials over a wide range of frequencies, from radio to ultraviolet aluminum, a metal magnesium oxide, an insulator and water, a liquid. 

In addition to photoconductivity, polysilanes have been found to exhibit marked nonlinear optical properties,95-97 suggesting that they may eventually be useful in laser and other optical technology. The third-order non-linear susceptibility, X3, is a measure of the strength of this effect. The non-linear properties of polysilanes, like the absorption spectra, seem to be dependent on chain conformation and are enhanced for polymers having an extended, near anti conformation (Table 5.5). The value of 11 x 10 12 esu observed for (n-Hex2Si) below its transition temperature is the largest ever observed for a polymer which is transparent in the visible region. 

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