Study of effect of magnetic nanoparticles properties on hologram recording capability in photopolymer nanocomposite for development of holographic sensor/actuator

Photopolymer nanocomposite materials utilising nanoparticles of varied refractive index are one of the most attractive materials for holography due to their tuneable properties. The preparation of the photopolymer nanocomposites can involve mixing a stable colloidal suspension in the photopolymer solution or printing of the nanoparticle colloidal suspension on top of a dried photopolymer layer. By following the first approach in this study a novel photopolymer nanocomposite material is prepared for holographic recording. It consists of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA)-based photopolymer as a host and iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles as nanodopant. The methodology of the photopolymer nanocomposite material preparation is explained in detail. In order to investigate the interaction of nanodopants with the host photopolymer, the photo-bleaching of the layers when exposed to a single laser beam has been studied. Initial characterisation of the holographic recording capability of the nanocomposite has been carried out. The maximum diffraction efficiency (DE) achieved in 70 μm thick layer after recording with 3.4 mW/cm2 intensity at 532 nm wavelength is 18 %.