SOL-GEL PROCESSED MULTIFUNCTIONAL ORGANIC POLYMER-INORGANIC OXIDE COMPOSITES FOR ELECTRONICS AND PHOTONICS

MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIAL WITH UNIQUE OPTICAL, ELECTRONIC AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR VARIETY OF MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL NEEDS RANGING FROM NEW TYPES OF PROTECTIVE COATING TO OPTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING AND RECORDING. MOLECULAR COMPOSITES DEMONSTRATE ENORMOUS POTENTIAL IN PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS BECAUSE OF THEIR HOMOGENEITY AND ABILITY TO PRECISELY CONTROL THEIR COMPOSITION TO ACHIEVE OR ENHANCE DESIRED PROPERTIES. A NEW CLASS OF SOL-GEL PROCESSED OXIDE GLASS/ORGANIC POLYMER COMPOSITIES HAVE EXCELLENT INTRINSIC PROPERTIES AND TAILORABILITY TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF A WIDE RANGE OF ELECTRONICS AND PHOTONICS DEVICES. THE PROPOSED PHASE I PROGRAM FOCUSES ON: 1) DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A NOVEL CLASS OF MATERIALS BY REDOX COUPLING AND INORGANIC OXIDE AND A CONJUGATED POLYMER USING THE SOL-GEL PROCESSING TECHNIQUE; 2) DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR APPLICATIONS AS A) CONDUCTIVE COATING, B) NONLINEAR OPTICAL MATERIALS, AND C) OPTICAL RECORDING MEDIA. UNDER PHASE II, THE RESULTS OF THIS PROGRAM WILL BE USED AS A FOUNDATION FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS AND PROCESSING FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.