New conjugated polymer/sol-gel glass composites: Luminescence and optical waveguides

Composites of a sol-gel glass and a conjugated polymer have the potential to combine their unique properties: the high stability and ease of preparation of the sol-gel host and the optical fluorescence of the polymers. Two methods of preparation of such new composites are de scribed, one of which successfully leads to composites with photoluminescence similar to that of homogeneous films of conjugated polymers. This result opens up new vistas in the fabrication of devices based on thin films of conjugated polymers using composite materials.