Nonlinear optical materials containing polar disulfone-functionalized molecules

A nonlinear optical composition of matter, which comprises:

• polar disulfone-functionalized molecules incorporated in and aligned noncentrosymmetrically in an optically clear polymeric composition, wherein the polar disulfone-functionalized molecules are of the Formula I ##STR82## where n is 0, 1, or 2;
• R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent hydrogen, an alkyl group of about 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or taken together in conjunction with the catenary carbon atoms therebetween form a 5 or 6-membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ting, when n is 2, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, R.sup.1 and R.sup.1, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.2, in conjunction with the catenary carbon atoms therebetween, may form the 5 or 6-membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring;
• R.sub.f.sup.1 and R.sub.f.sup.2 each independently represent fluorine, a saturated fluorinated alkyl radical having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or taken together in conjunction with the disulfone group form a 5, 6, or 7-membered ring containing 2, 3, or 4 carbon atoms, respectively, that are fluorinated;
• and Z represents an aryl group substituted with an electron donating group, an activated aromatic heterocyclic group, a group derived from a dye base, or a group derived from a dye olefin, wherein;
• the aryl group substituted with an electron-donating group is represented by the Formula II ##STR83## where Ar- represents a monovalent aryl group having 6 to 10 ring atoms;
• Y represents an electron-donating substituent group having up to 20 atoms;
• X represents a monovalent substituent group having 1 to 20 atoms;
• k is 1 or 2;
• and m is an integer of 0 to 6;
• the activated heterocyclic aromatic group is represented by the Formula III ##STR84## where ##STR85## represents a monovalent heterocyclic aromatic nucleus containing 5 or 6 ring atoms:
• V represents X, or taken together with atoms in the heterocyclic aromatic nucleus represents the necessary atoms required to complete a 6-membered aromatic nucleus;
• E is S, O, or NR.sup.5, where R.sup.5 represents a substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms;
• and g is an integer of 0 to 4;
• the group derived from a dye base is represented by the Formula IV ##STR86## where p is 0, or 1;
• R.sup.5 is as defined above;
• and W represents the non-metallic atoms required to complete a heterocyclic nucleus containing 5 or 6 atoms in the heterocyclic ring;
• and
• the group derived from the dye olefin is represented by the Formula V ##STR87## where Ar, Y, X, and m are as defined above;
• Ar' independently represents Ar;
• X' and Y' independently represent X and Y, respectively;
• m' independently represents m;
• and h and h' independently represents 0, 1, or 2, with the proviso that both h and h' cannot be 0.