When certain molecules are doped into polymers, they are photo-chemically more stable to photodegradation than the same molecule in liquid solution or crystalline form. Furthermore, such composite materials are also found to self heal after photo-damage when they are stored in the dark. Repeated laser cycling of these dye-doped polymers make them more immune to future photodegradation. In parallel, it has been observed that electrooptic devices made with poled dye-doped polymers become more robust upon irradiation by gamma-rays. In the present work, we combine both gamma radiation and laser cycling and find that the synergism between the two processes may result in more robust materials.

Date Published: 26 September 2007
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 6713, Nanophotonics and Macrophotonics for Space Environments, 671308 (26 September 2007); doi: 10.1117/12.739488

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6713:
Nanophotonics and Macrophotonics for Space Environments
Edward W. Taylor; David A. Cardimona, Editor(s)