Organic nanocrystals grown in sol–gel matrices: a new type of hybrid material for optics

Abstract

We have engineered new hybrid organic–inorganic materials through a simple and generic preparation of stable organic nanocrystals grown in gel–glass matrices. This process is based on the confined nucleation and growth of dyes in the pores of dense gels. For bulk samples, narrow size distributions of particles are obtained between 10 and 20 nm in diameter. We have extended this method to the preparation of organic nanocrystals embedded in sol–gel thin films by spin-coating. For all these nanocomposite samples, we have significantly increased the stability of the dye and obtained promising linear and nonlinear optical properties.