Quantitative description of segregation degree in holographic nanocomposites

Holographic nanocomposites have been broadly used in photonic crystals, 3D display, data storage and so forth. They are formed via holographic photopolymerization induced phase separation with photoinitiating system, monomer and nanoparticles. During the formation of holographic nanocomposites, it is crucial to control the photopolymerization kinetics and gelation, and thus to achieve predesigned grating features with desirable size and morphology. Toward this end, a photoinitibitor with concurrent photoinitiation and photoinhibition functions is proposed to exert the precise spatiotemporal control on the grating structures. In addition, a correlation between the segregation degree, SD, and the ratio of gelation time to viscosity of mixture for holography is deduced. The function provides theoretical guidance to control the morphology and performance of holograms.