title: 25th anniversary article: Design of polymethine dyes for all-optical switching applications: guidance from theoretical and computational studies.
abstract: All-optical switching--controlling light with light--has the potential to meet the ever-increasing demand for data transmission bandwidth. The development of organic π-conjugated molecular materials with the requisite properties for all-optical switching applications has long proven to be a significant challenge. However, recent advances demonstrate that polymethine dyes have the potential to meet the necessary requirements. In this review, we explore the theoretical underpinnings that guide the design of π-conjugated materials for all-optical switching applications. We underline, from a computational chemistry standpoint, the relationships among chemical structure, electronic structure, and optical properties that make polymethines such promising materials.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics and Center for Organic Materials for All-Optical Switching, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332-0400, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gieseking
authors.forename: Sukrit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Risko
authors.forename: Seth R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Marder
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Brédas
keywords: all-optical switching; electronic structure theory; polymethines/cyanines; third-order nonlinear optics