Molecular electro-optics

When fluids and molecular solutions are subjected to electric fields various optical properties undergo a change. Although the best known effect is that of electric birefringence (the Kerr effect), other electro-optical phenomena such as scattering, optical rotation, dichroism and fluorescence all exist and have been used to study macromolecules. A brief account is given of representative electro-optical effects and how they can be measured and used for molecular characterisation. In recent years interest has been growing in the use of such electro-optical phenomena as possible optoelectronics switch and device phenomena.