A new material based on 1,2-naphthoquinone in polymethylmethacrylate is proposed
for phase holograms showing diffusion enhancement. The spectral sensitivity of
this material allows forming holograms using 488–530 nm wavelengths, while the
hologram reconstruction can be implemented at 633 nm. The amplitude of the
refractive index modulation achieved makes it possible to reach diffraction
efficiencies close to 100% at a thickness of several hundreds of µm. It was
found by means of UV–visible and NMR spectroscopy that the diffusion of
1,2-naphthoquinone caused by photoproduct attachment to macromolecules of a
polymer matrix is the main reason for the hologram enhancement. A relatively
high diffusion coefficient (4.8 × 10−17 m2 s−1
at 50 °C) was measured, leading to fast enhancement at moderate temperature.