Quadratic Electro-optic Effect in the Nonconjugated Conductive Polymer Iodine-doped Polyethylene Terephthalate

Quadratic electro-optic effect has been measured in the nonconjugated conductive polymer iodine-doped polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The measurement has been made using field-induced birefringence at 633 nm with lock-in detection. The magnitude of the Kerr coefficient as measured is about 5x10^-11 m/V² at high doping level. The Kerr coefficient was observed to increase with the doping level. This is another example of a nanometallic system with sub-nanometer particle sizes. More detailed work on this is in progress.