Index Contrasting-Photoactive Polymerizable Materials, and Articles and Methods Using Same

The present invention provides a composition comprising at least one a photoactive index-contrasting polymerizable material, wherein the photoactive polymerizable material comprises at least one reactive functional group and at least one index-contrasting group, and wherein the photoactive polymerizable material includes one or more of the following parameters: (1) a distance between at least one reactive group and at least one index-contrasting group which is at least to the average radius of the index-contrasting group; (2) two or more reactive groups per photoactive polymerizable materials; (3) an index-contrasting group having a strong chromophore absorption at a wavelength shorter than the recording wavelength, and (4) the photoactive polymerizable material comprises a reactive nanoparticle. The photoactive polymerizable material may be used to prepare an article by, for example, dispersion thereof in a support matrix, which may be used, for example, to record holograms.