Doped nitrilotriacetates for holographic applications

Research project P 14125 Doped nitrilotriacetates for holographic applications Ekkehart TILLMANNS 06.03.2000 In a continuation of our earlier research project of the structural and physical characterization of zirconium and hafnium nitrilotriacetates (short Zr(NTA)2 2- and Hf(NTA) 2 2- ) we have already synthezised a number of further polar species with acentric cations, especially mono- and diamines and their double salts and solid solutions and plan to synthezise more. The new substances are to be structurally characterized and large single crystals of optical quality are to be grown in order to measure physical properties such as piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, elastic, and thermoelastic behaviour etc. In addition we plan to investigate how these compounds can be doped in order to produce new materials for optical applications, especially as holographic storage media. Many of the compounds investigated so far show phase transitions of higher order and could be used as holographic storages because of their structural instability. Also in these cases the efficiency of holographic read/write processes could possibly be enhanced by dopants. This part of the project will be conducted in cooperation with Prof. Dr. R.A. Rupp, Institut für Experimentalphysik der Universität Wien (cf. Rupp et al., Z. Kristallogr. Suppl. 15, 98 (1998)).