Temperature dependence of the photorefractive property of PMMA-based composite

Temperature dependence of the photorefractive (PR) property of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based polymer composite is presented. The electrooptic and PR properties of PMMA-based polymer composite have been studied in the temperature range of 22–60°C. The effects of electric field on the PR property of the material have been investigated as well. The experimental results show that the electrooptic coefficient first increases slightly with the enhancing temperature and eventually saturates. This behavior is attributed to the temperature activated orientational mobility of the second-order nonlinear chromophores. Diffraction efficiency first increases with the increasing temperature, and then decreases as the temperature is further enhanced; while the diffraction efficiency increases with the increasing field strength.