New chlorin-e6 trimethyl ester compounds as holographic data storage media at liquid helium temperature

Abstract

The chlorin–polyvinylbutyral (PVB) guest–host system has been the workhorse for most of the previously reported holographic hole burning experiments. In order to extend the spectral range and to improve on some of its properties we synthesized chlorin-e ₆ trimethyl ester 1 and brominated chlorin-e ₆ trimethyl ester 2, which require a much shorter synthesis pathway than chlorin. We studied the hole burning behaviour of these new dyes with different matrix materials and film preparation methods at liquid helium temperature and measured important properties like hole width and burning kinetics. One result was that we found the methyl ester compounds embedded into a photopolymer to have a five times faster burning rate than the chlorin–photopolymer system.