Photochromism is defined as a reversible light induced color change of a material. By encapsulating photochromic molecules in glasses prepared by the sol-gel technique, transparent photochromic glass has been made. The new optical materials have potential applications in the areas of information recording and optical switching. Both the reversible color changes and the corresponding rates of these changes depend in part on the environment of the molecule in the glass matrix. In this paper, the results of studies involving the incorporation of the photochromic molecule, 2,3-diphenylindenone oxide in a variety of sol- gel glasses (aluminosilicate, silicate, ORMOSIL) are reported. The unirradiated gel and glass are colorless. Upon exposure to light of wavelengths less than 400 nm, the material turns red. When the irradiation ceases, the material returns to its original colorless form. The photochromic and spectroscopic properties of these glasses are presented and the rates of the color transformations are discussed.

Date Published: 7 December 1992
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 1758, Sol-Gel Optics II, (7 December 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.132028

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1758:
Sol-Gel Optics II
John D. Mackenzie, Editor(s)