Optical properties data storage

Material science can also benefit from oligomeric state of proteins. New retinal nano-ceramic materials with pillared hybrid micro-structures were fabricated for potential applications in optical holographic data storage. It was observed that the Schiff bases in retinal have substantial effect on optical properties of nano-ceramic films as well as diffraction efficiency for holographic storage. This study indicates feasibility of optimizing optical properties of nano-ceramic clay systems using Schiff bases for a variety of photonic applications.40... 

The potentially unique optical properties are due to azoaromatic chromophores containing side chain polymers [38—43]. These polymers are used as in micro- and nanotechnology based advance systems like optical based data storage [44], NLO materials [45, 46], holographic based memories [47], chiroptical based switches [48], surface relief based gratings [49-51], etc. The chemical stractures with variation of different side chains of the investigated azoaromatic polymers and copolymers are shown in Fig. 5. 

High demands are placed on the substrate material of disk-shaped optical data storage devices regarding the optical, physical, chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties. In addition to these physical parameters, they have to meet special requirements regarding optical purity of the material, processing characteristics, and especially in mass production, economic characteristics (costs, processing). The question of recyclabiUty must also be tackled. 

Table 9 compares the most important properties of substrate materials based on BPA-PC, PMMA, and CPO (three different products) (216,217). The future will prove if the current disadvantages of CPO against BPA-PC regarding warp, processibiUty (melt viscosity), and especially cost can be alleviated. CycHc polyolefins (CPO) and, especially cycloolefin copolymers (COC) (218) and blends of cycloolefin copolymers with suitable engineering plastics have the potential to be interesting materials for substrate disks for optical data storage. 

Table 10 compares the values of different experimental uv-curable cross-linked polymers with those of BPA-PC for the most important properties of substrate materials (220). In spite of this remarkable progress in the development of fast curing cross-linked polymers, BPA-PC and, to a small extent, glass are still the materials of choice for substrates for optical data storage. 

Liquid crystal polymers are also used in electrooptic displays. Side-chain polymers are quite suitable for this purpose, but usually involve much larger elastic and viscous constants, which slow the response of the device (33). The chiral smectic C phase is perhaps best suited for a polymer field effect device. The abiHty to attach dichroic or fluorescent dyes as a proportion of the side groups opens the door to appHcations not easily achieved with low molecular weight Hquid crystals. Polymers with smectic phases have also been used to create laser writable devices (30). The laser can address areas a few micrometers wide, changing a clear state to a strong scattering state or vice versa. Future uses of Hquid crystal polymers may include data storage devices. Polymers with nonlinear optical properties may also become important for device appHcations. 

Selenium chalcogenide glasses exhibit good infrared transmission properties. These are used as lenses (ZnSe, CdSe) in laser apphcations and have potential applications in fiber optics (qv) and in data storage and retrieval. 

Metal nanoparticles have been actively synthesized for applications as catalysts, sensors, adsorbents, analytical probes and optical data storages [1-7]. This is due to the fact that the physicochemical properties of metal nanoparticles can be... 

The chapters cover the following areas (i) use of coordination complexes in all types of catalysis (Chapters 1-11) (ii) applications related to the optical properties of coordination complexes, which covers fields as diverse as solar cells, nonlinear optics, display devices, pigments and dyes, and optical data storage (Chapters 12-16) (iii) hydrometallurgical extraction (Chapter 17) (iv) medicinal and biomedical applications of coordination complexes, including both imaging and therapy (Chapters 18-22) and (v) use of coordination complexes as precursors to semiconductor films and nanoparticles (Chapter 23). As such, the material in this volume ranges from solid-state physics to biochemistry. 

Metal complexes as dyes for optical data storage and electrochromic materials (R.J. Mortimer, N.M. Rowley) Non-linear optical properties of metal complexes (B. Coe)... 

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