Modification of Thermo-Optic Characteristics of Sol-Gel Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials

The effect of the inorganic oxide network on the variation of thermo-optic characteristics (dn/dT) in inorganic-organic hybrid material prepared through the sol-gel process was investigated. The dn/dT values were negative for all samples, and decreased in magnitude with the increasing concentration of the inorganic oxide or heterometallic oxide network. The dn/dT also became less negative with the increase in the degree of inorganic condensation in sol-gel reaction. A negative dn/dT value is consistent with thermal expansion of the material, and it is believed that the value of the dn/dT in our inorganic-organic hybrid materials was principally sensitive to variations in expansion term.