ABSTRACT:A new type of thermally stable second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) polycyanurate was synthesized by coupling Disperse Red I to the aryl hydroxyl-containing linear polycyanurate, which was prepared by the interfacial polymerization of 2-(4-(2-tetrahydropyranyloxy)phenyl)-4,6-dichloro-1 ,3,5-s-triazine with bisphenol A and by subsequent deprotection of tetrahydropyranyl groups. The new NLO polycyanurate exhibited a glass transition at 167oC and an initial thermal decomposition at about 300°C. The electro-optic coefficients ofNLO polycyanurate poled at I MV em-1 were 19 pm v-1 at 633 nm, 13 pm y-1 at 830 nm, and 6 pm v-1 at 1.3/lm. High-temperature polymers with second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores are of great interest as materials for electro-optic modulator and switching application. 1 The characteristics of polymeric skeleton such as thermal stability, high glass transition temperature, and good film property provide polymeric NLO materials with temporal stability of dipole alignment, and lead to facile thin-film process for effective fabrication and operation of integrated electro-optic devices. 2 · 3 One of the most extensively investigated systems is polyimides due to their high Tg and thermal stability. Several polyimide systems were used in prototype electro-optic devices. 4 -6 The synthesis of polyimide, however, generally includes a reaction between reactive diamine and dianhydride for the preparation of poly(amic acid), which then undergoes high-temperature imidization to produce polyimide. Recently, therefore, an introduction ofNLO chromophores to poly(hydroxy imide)s via Mitsunobu reaction has been reported as an efficient route to avoid high temperature imidization process. 7 In this work, we report new thermally stable secondorder NLO polycyanurate which can be prepared under mild interfacial polymerization condition. Cyanurate resins, three dimensional cyanurate networks, have found industrial applications because of their attractive high temperature characteristics. 8 • 9 Linear polycyanurates derived from interfacial polymerization of 2-R-4,6-chloro-s-triazine and aromatic diols possess excellent thermal stability, high Tg, optical transparency, and high solubility in common organic solvents. 10 · 11 Thus, linear polycyanurates can be considered suitable candidates for thermally stable NLO materials.