Nonlinear optical properties of new photosensitive smart materials based on nematic liquid crystal with H-bonded dye–polymer complex

The nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of the new photosensitive heterogeneous systems based on nematic liquid crystal (LC) doped with H-bonded polymer–azo-dye complex were studied. The excitation of the heterosystem by continuous laser irradiation at 532 nm produces the refractive index variation up to 10−210−2 measured within the spatial profile analysis in the far field. The phenomenon could be attributed to the photoinduced transformation of the azo dye from trans to cis form that reduces the order parameter of the LC in the vicinity of the complex.