Hole burning properties of aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulphonate in water-containing poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) films

Non-photochemical hole burning of aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate in poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) is reported. The zero-phonon holewidth, linear electron–phonon coupling, and dispersive kinetics of hole growth are measured. From comparison of the dye in hyperquenched glassy water, ethanol, and dry polymer, it is concluded that it interacts with the non-freezing water of the polymer. This results in a significant increase in the zero-phonon holewidth and decrease in the frequency of phonons that are linearly coupled to the optical transition. Prospects for similar dye–polymer systems for studies of optical coherence loss and for information storage applications are discussed.