Antireflective UV blocking multilayer coatings wherin film has cerium oxide

An antireflective multilayer coating including a thin film optical coating as well as a method for producing such a coating are provided. The thin film optical coating includes a layer of sol-gel derived cerium oxide, silicon dioxide, and at least one oxide of a transition metal selected from Group IIIB through Group VIB of the Periodic Table which is capable of providing a refractive index of at least about 1.90. The thin film may optionally include colloidal gold particles. A method is provided for producing a thin film optical coating including a layer of sol-gel derived cerium oxide, silicon dioxide, and at least one oxide of a transition metal selected from Group IIIB through Group VIB of the Periodic Table by immersing a substrate in a solution comprising cerium nitrate hexahydrate, an alcohol and a chelating agent, withdrawing the substrate from the solution and heat treating the coated substrate to form the metal oxides.