Pyroelectric organo-metallic langmuir-blodgett films

Abstract

Abstract Organic materials are highly efficient non-linear media and can be prepared in a non-symmetric structure using the simple yet elegant deposition process termed the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. In this paper the pyroelectric behaviour of novel organo-metallic/behenic acid superlattices, prepared using this method, are reported. The largest pyroelectric coefficients (3 μCm−2K−1) were obtained from a ruthenium [(η5-cyclopentadienyl)-(bis-triphenylphosphine)] hexafluorophosphate complexed with a cyano (poly) phenyl liquid crystal. The influence of the phenyl rings and the effects of electron donating groups have been investigated to give an insight into the origins of the pyroelectric effect. The low dielectric loss and relative permittivity exhibited by these materials suggest a possible application as a thin film infra-red detector layer. Key Words: Langmuir-Blodgett filmpyroelectricityorgano-metallicinfra-red imaging