Sol-Gel Processed Multifunctional Organic Polymer-Inorganic Oxide Composites for Electronics and Photonics

This document includes a detailed description of efforts to develop sol- gel polymer composites for use in the fields of electronics and photonics. The central aim of the SBIR Phase I effort was to develop a multifunctional composite containing both oxides and organic polymers; both of the components in these materials are expected to perform active roles. A particular example that was investigated is one in which the inorganic component increases the charge carrier mobility while an organic component enhances its nonlinear optical response. Another example is the potential of organic and inorganic semiconductors becoming redox-coupled creating an entirely new class of multifunctional materials. The work involved (1) the synthesis of several vanadium alkoxides and polymers, (2) developing protocols for the preparation of composite films of the highest optical quality, and (3) obtaining assessments of conductivity and nonlinear optical response. Spectroscopic data indicate the presence of specific absorption bands characteristic of charge transfer phenomena. High conductivity and a nonlinear optical response of the composites were observed. Further development and optimization of these systems will yield materials useful in such applications such as photorefractive media, antistatic coatings, large area electroluminescent panels or light emitting devices.