Patent ID: 8647794

Claim:
A method for storing holographic data, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an optically transparent substrate comprising a polymer composite and a light absorbing chromophore, wherein the polymer composite is prepared by melt blending and comprises: an amorphous polymer, wherein the amorphous polymer comprises poly(styrene-co-methyl methacrylate); and a crystallizable polymer, wherein the crystallizable polymer comprises polyethylene glycol; wherein upon cooling the polymer composite, the amorphous polymer forms a continuous phase and the crystallizable polymer forms a dispersed phase, and wherein the dispersed phase is less than 200 nanometers in size and wherein the polymer composite has an optical transparency of at least 65 percent, and wherein the light absorbing chromophore is attached to the polymer composite; and (b) irradiating a volume element of the optically transparent substrate with a holographic interference pattern, wherein the pattern has a first wavelength and an intensity both sufficient to cause a phase change in at least a portion of the dispersed phase within the volume element of the substrate to produce within the irradiated volume element refractive index variations corresponding to the holographic interference pattern, thereby producing an optically readable datum corresponding to the volume element wherein said phase change is a change from a crystalline to an amorphous state.