Photoinduced Rayleigh Light Scattering by Hyperbranched Poly(phenylene sulfide) Solutions: A Model for a Light Scattering Switch

Unusual photophysical and scattering behavior is described for hyperbranched poly(phenylene sulfide) materials. These materials show interactions between the π systems of the aromatic monomer units in both ground and excited states, resulting in broad ranges for absorption and emission of light. The materials also display unusual scattering behavior; this is attributed to enhanced scattering by delocalized excited states resulting from the monomer unit interactions. This enhanced scattering is seen in the resonance Rayleigh scattering and second order scattering spectra. The ability to use these materials to construct a switch based on photoinduced scattering is demonstrated: application of ∼400 nm laser light increased scattering of 700 nm light by approximately 20%.