Functional dendrimers for nonlinear optics

Novel nonlinear optical (NLO) building blocks can be placed into the periphery, branch, or core of a dendrimer to construct precise molecular architecture with predetermined chemical composition. The site-isolation effect, through the encapsulation of active moieties by dendrons, or the cooperative effect, through the coherent interaction among the same or different kinds of active blocks in the dendrimer, can greatly enhance the performance of NLO materials. This paper provides a review of recent developments in dendrimers for NLO applications, such as electro-optics (E-O), photorefractive (PR) materials, second harmonic generation (SHG), and two-photon absorption (TPA).