Investigation of the diffusion processes in a self-processing acrylamide-based photopolymer system

Results from the investigation of the diffusion processes in a dry acrylamide-based photopolymer system are presented. The investigation is carried out in the context of experimental research on optimization of the high-spatial-frequency response of the photopolymer. Tracing the transmission holographic grating dynamics at short times of exposure is utilized to measure diffusion coefficients. The results reveal that two different diffusion processes contribute with opposite sign to the refractive-index modulation responsible for the diffraction grating buildup. Monomer diffusion from dark to bright fringe areas increases the refractive-index modulation. It is characterized with diffusion constant D0 = 1.6 x 10(-7) cm2/s. A second diffusion process takes place during the recording. It decreases the refractive-index modulation and we ascribe it to diffusion of short-chain polymer molecules or radicals from bright to dark fringe areas. The estimated diffusion coefficient for this process is D0 = 6.35 x 10(-10) cm2/s. The presence of the second process could be responsible for the poor high-spatial-frequency response of the investigated photopolymer system. Comparison with the diffusion in photopolymer systems known for their good response at high spatial frequencies shows that both investigated diffusion processes occur in a much faster time scale.