This project is in the general area of materials chemistry. It involves the chemical synthesis of "effect" polymers which will exhibit non-linear optical properties. Stiff polymers with extended axial dimensions may possess a wide variety of material properties of interest, including special optical properties, and the ability to exhibit extraordinary strength. The polymers under investigation are characterized by extended helical conformations which arise because of the interplay between conjugative and steric forces. The helical dissymmetry of these systems allows control of the axial dimension through stereochemistry. This research will provide a correlation between the materials properties and those chemical factors which impart chain stiffness. The materials chemistry aspects of this research have important implications in telecommunications and optical information processing.
