INTERACTION OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS WITH SILICA MATRIX PREPARED BY A SOL-GEL PROCESS FOR NLO APPLICATIONS

In this work, MNA (2-methyl-4-nitroaniline) and substituted carbazoles were incorporated into silica matrix to for composite thin films on t he glass substrate by a sol-gel process for NLO applications. In the c omposite thin films, the thermal stability was dependent on the type o f functional groups incorporated into the organic compounds. DR 1(disp erse red 1) and carbazole-2 (5-nitro-9-hydroxyethyl-cabazole) which ha s a terminal -OH group showed enhanced thermal stability, whereas carb azole-1 (5-nitro-9-ethyl-carbazole) and MNA, which don't have a reacti ve functional group, showed rapid degradation upon thermal treatment. This strongthly suggests that the thermal stability of incorporated or ganic compounds can be enhanced by a reactive terminal group in organi c compounds without severely damaging NLO properly.