Nonlinear polymeric effect: synthesis, crystal structure and nonlinear optical properties of a new mercury iodide adduct polymer [Hg(bpfb)I2]n · 2DMF (bpfb=N,N′-bis(4-pyridyl formamide)-1,4-benzene)

A new 1-D mercury iodide coordination polymer [Hg(bpfb)I2]n · 2DMF (1) (bpfb=N,N′-bis(4-pyridyl formamide)-1,4-benzene) was prepared. Its optical responses to the incident light exhibit strong three-order nonlinear optical absorptive and refractive effects with α2=3.148×10−16 m2 W−1 and n2=6.854×10−18 m2 W−1 in a 2.48 × 10−4 mol dm−3 DMF solution, and we find that a polymeric adduct may give better NLO properties than a monomeric adduct.