title: Novel heterocycle-based two-photon absorbing dyes.
abstract: [structure: see text]. The synthesis and nonlinear optical characterization of two novel heteroaromatic-based chromophores is described. The new dyes present an A-pi-D-pi-A general framework, where A is a pi-deficient heteroaromatic ring (pyridine, quinoline, benzothiazole) and D a pi-excessive pyrrolyl moiety. Both systems exhibit large two-photon absorption (TPA) values in the femtoseconds regime (TPA cross section as high as 150 x 10(-50) cm(4) s photon(-1) molecule(-1) with 150 fs laser pulses). Their TPA-based optical limiting activity is also shown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, I-20125, Milano, Italy. alessandro.abbotto@unimib.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbotto
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beverina
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bozio
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchetti
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrante
authors.forename: Giorgio A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pedron
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Signorini