Photochromic Sol−Gel Materials

Among the many developments associated with sol−gel processing of particular relevance for information processing and optics applications is the preparation of photochromic sol−gel materials. If these materials are properly processed as thin films or attached to optical fibers, throughout the design of an adequate thermally and photochemically stable practical device, the properties of the light throughput may be modified. Hybrid organic−inorganic sol−gel matrixes ormocers (organically modified ceramics) and ormosils (organically modified silicas) opened the gateway to approach to optical memory applications by either light or temperature writing and erasing on newly developed photochromic and thermochromic materials.