A functionalized polymer film allowing for a complete and straightforward second-harmonic generation (SHG)-assisted high-contrast writing-reading-erasing-writing sequence is proposed. The whole process is supported by the reversible photoinduced dimerization of a coumarin chromophore and enables efficient optical data storage that can be detected only by SHG imaging.

The nanoscale crystals ͑NCs͒ of ZnO were embedded into polymethylmethacrylate ͑PMMA͒ polymeric matrix and nanocomposite films were prepared by modified spin coating method. The surface of the ZnO/PMMA nanocomposite films has been investigated using atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. The prepared films are highly transparent, the ultraviolet-visible spectra show their high optical quality. The second and third harmonic generation ͑SHG and THG͒ studies of ZnO/PMMA nanocomposite films with different concentrations of ZnO NCs were carried out at = 1.064 m and the effective values of the second and third order nonlinear susceptibilities were estimated to be higher than that of ZnO bulk for the films at low concentration of ZnO NCs. This could indicate that surface effects in ZnO/PMMA nanocomposite films have a dominant role over bulk effects for the SHG and THG processes.

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