Methods for storing holographic data and articles having enhanced data storage lifetime derived therefrom

1. A method for storing holographic data, said method comprising:

providing an optically transparent substrate comprising a photochemically active dye and a photo-acid generator;

irradiating the optically transparent substrate with a holographic interference pattern, wherein the pattern has a first wavelength and an intensity both sufficient to convert, within a volume element of the substrate, at least some of the photochemically active dye into a photo-product, and producing within the irradiated volume element concentration variations of the photo-product corresponding to the holographic interference pattern, thereby producing an optically readable datum corresponding to the volume element; and

irradiating the optically transparent substrate at a second wavelength and intensity sufficient to activate the photo-acid generator to stabilize the optically readable datum;

wherein the photochemically active dye is a photochemically active nitrone having a structure (I):

wherein R 1 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical that is capable of conjugating with the nitrone group; R 2 is hydrogen or an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical that is capable of conjugating with the nitrone group; and R 3 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 2 and R 3 taken together form part of a ring structure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 has a structure (II):

wherein each of R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 is independently a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical; and “n” is an integer having a value of from 1 to 4.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the photochemically active nitrone is a nitrone having structure (III):

wherein Ar 1 is an aromatic radical, each of R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 is independently a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical; R 3 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical, and “p” is an integer having a value of from 0 to 4.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photochemically active nitrone is an aromatic nitrone selected from the group consisting of α-styrenyl isopropyl nitrone (SIPN), α-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-N-phenylnitrone; α-(4diethylaminophenyl)-N-(4-chlorophenyl)-nitrone, α-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-nitrone, α-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-N-(4-carbethoxyphenyl)-nitrone, α-(4-diethylaminophenyl)-N-(4-acetylphenyl)-nitrone, α-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-N-(4-cyanophenyl)-nitrone, α-(4-methoxyphenyl)-N-(4-cyanophenyl)nitrone, α-(9-julolidinyl)-N-phenylnitrone, α-(9-julolidinyl)-N-(4-chlorophenyl)nitrone, α-(4-dimethylamino)styrenyl-N-phenyl nitrone, α-styrenyl-N-phenyl nitrone, α-[2-(1,1-diphenylethenyl)]-N-phenylnitrone, α-[2-(1-phenylpropenyl)]-N-phenylnitrone, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the photo-product is an oxaziridine.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photo-product is an aromatic oxaziridine.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the aromatic oxaziridine has structure (V):

wherein Ar 1 is an aromatic radical, each of R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 is independently a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical; R 3 is an aliphatic radical, an aromatic radical, or a cycloaliphatic radical; and “p” is an integer having a value of from 0 to 4.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of irradiating the optically transparent substrate at the second wavelength and intensity sufficient to activate the photo-acid generator affords a photo-stable protonated nitrone.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of irradiating the optically transparent substrate at the second wavelength and intensity sufficient to activate the photo-acid generator affords a photo-stable amide.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the photo-stable amide is selected from the group consisting of aromatic amides having structures (VII), (VIII):

and combinations thereof, wherein Ar 1 is an aromatic radical, each of R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 is independently a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical; R 3 is an aliphatic radical, an aromatic radical, or a cycloaliphatic radical; and “p” is an integer having a value of from 0 to 4.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the photo-stable amide is a formamide having structure (IX):

wherein Ar 1 is an aromatic radical, each of R 5 and R 6 is independently a hydrogen atom, an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical; R 3 is an aliphatic radical, an aromatic radical, or a cycloaliphatic radical; and “p” is an integer having a value of from 0 to 4.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photo-acid generator comprises an onium salt.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the onium salt is selected from the group consisting of an iodonium salt, a sulfonium salt, a selenonium salt, a phosphonium salt, an N-alkoxypyridinium salt, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photo-acid generator is selected from the group consisting of diaryliodonium tetrafluoroborates, diaryliodonium hexafluorophosphates, diaryliodonium hexafluoroantimonates, diaryliodonium trifluoromethanesulfonates, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optically transparent substrate further comprises at least one photo-sensitizer.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the photo-sensitizer is selected from the group consisting of a polymeric phenothazine, a homopolymer of N-vinylcarbazole, a copolymer of N-vinylcarbazole, a phenothiazine compound, an anthracene compound, a naphthacene compound, a porphyrin compound, a phthalocyanine compound, a naphthalocyanine compound, a chalcogenapyrilium nitrone compound, a merocyanine nitrone compound, a quasiaromatic heterocyclic compound, a Nile Blue nitrone compound, a metal-bipyridine complex, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first wavelength is from about 375 nanometers to about 450 nanometers.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first wavelength is from about 450 nanometers to about 550 nanometers.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein said second wavelength is longer than the first wavelength, and the second wavelength is from about 450 nanometers to about 1500 nanometers.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein said second wavelength is longer than the first wavelength, and the second wavelength is from about 550 nanometers to about 1500 nanometers.

22. A method for storing holographic data, said method comprising:

providing an optically transparent substrate comprising a photochemically active nitrone, a photo-acid generator, and a photo-sensitizer;

irradiating the optically transparent substrate with a holographic interference pattern, wherein the pattern has a first wavelength and an intensity both sufficient to convert, within a volume element of the substrate, at least some of the photochemically active nitrone into a photo-product of the photochemically active nitrone, and producing within the irradiated volume element concentration variations of the photo-product corresponding to the holographic interference pattern, thereby producing a first optically readable datum corresponding to the volume element; and

irradiating the modified optically transparent substrate at a second wavelength and intensity sufficient to activate the photo-acid generator to stabilize the optically readable datum;

wherein the photochemically active dye is a photochemically active nitrone having a structure (I):

wherein R 1 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical that is capable of conjugating with the nitrone group; R 2 is hydrogen or an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical that is capable of conjugating with the nitrone group; and R 3 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical.

23. An optical writing/reading method, comprising:

irradiating with a holographic interference pattern an optically transparent substrate that comprises a photochemically active dye and a photo-acid generator, wherein the pattern has a first wavelength and an intensity both sufficient to convert, within a volume element of the substrate, at least some of the photochemically active dye into a photo-product, and producing within the irradiated volume element concentration variations of the photo-product corresponding to the holographic interference pattern, thereby producing a first optically readable datum corresponding to the volume element; wherein the holographic interference pattern is produced by simultaneously irradiating the optically transparent substrate with a signal beam corresponding to data and a reference beam that does not correspond to data;

irradiating the optically transparent substrate at a second wavelength and intensity sufficient to activate the photo-acid generator to stabilize the optically readable datum; and

irradiating the optically transparent substrate with a read beam and reading the optically readable datum by detecting diffracted light;

wherein the photochemically active dye is a photochemically active nitrone having a structure (I):

wherein R 1 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical that is capable of conjugating with the nitrone group; R 2 is hydrogen or an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical that is capable of conjugating with the nitrone group; and R 3 is an aliphatic radical, a cycloaliphatic radical, or an aromatic radical.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the read beam has a wavelength that is shifted by 1 nanometer to about 400 nanometers from the signal beam's wavelength.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the first wavelength, the second wavelength and the read beam all have different wavelengths.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the optically transparent substrate further comprises at least one photo-sensitizer.