Third-order optical nonlinearities of oligomers, dendrimers and polymers derived from solution Z-scan studies

Z-scan measurements provide a simple way of determining and comparing the third-order nonlinear properties of chemical compounds, especially if measurements can be done on solutions in common solvents. We discuss advantages of the solution Z-scan technique, e.g. the possibility of in situ studies of electrochemical switching of third-order nonlinearity, and problems encountered on the interpretation of the results, such as those due to thermal nonlinearity and solvent effects. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.