ISGS eSeminar, December 2022

 

Sol-Gel monolithic materials for optics and non-linear optics 

by

Stephane Parola

 

Laboratoire de Chimie, UMR 5182 ENS/CNRS/UCBL, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France 

 

Hybrid materials and in particular transparent monolithic materials (xerogels, aerogels) are intensively investigated for optical applica-tions (sensors, filters, imaging, photocatalysis, etc). The prepara-tion of 3D composite structures incorporating either molecular enti-ties and/or functional nanoparticles represents a challenge on the way to optical devices. Two methodologies will be discussed: (i) the preparation of monolithic transparent silica-based material using the sol-gel process and incorporation of functional nanostructures (plasmonic, luminescent); and (ii) the preparation of monolithic composites from destabilization process of colloidal suspension. 

The first strategy operates through the sol-gel process, which allows the design of transparent hybrid monolithic xerogels or aero-gels. Dyes or nanoparticles can be introduced during the process to provide specific optical properties to the final glass (emission, absorption, etc). Plasmonic and chiro-plasmonic glasses can be obtained with this approach. Co-dispersion of metallic structures with dyes can also be achieved to tune the optical response. The role of the process and the materials’ microstructures (e.g. porosi-ty) on the optical properties will be discussed. 

The self-assembly of small building blocks nanoparticles suspension represents another convenient route towards 3D structuration and monolithic crystalline functional materials. This approach can be used to prepare, for example, crystalline oxides or fluoride aerogels and mixed-composite aerogels with interesting optical properties, offering a wide possibility of materials for applications in photocatalysis, optics, sensors, etc. 

It is our pleasure to invite you to join the ISGS eSeminar for December 2022, which will be delivered by Professor Stéphane Parola on Wednesday 7 December. Stéphane will be familiar to members of the sol-gel community as the Chair of the 2022 International Sol-Gel Conference that was held in Lyon during July. Please click here and here to learn more about his other achievements and interesting career journey, including his contribu-tions to both the professional and social fabric of our sol-gel and materials science community. 

Date: Wednesday 7 December 2022

Format:

  • ZOOM (eSeminar link), Meeting ID: 307 291 6432 Passcode: Jd2%66

Time:

  • 08:00 – Ottawa, USA, East Coast
  • 10:00 – Brazil (São Paulo) and Argentina
  • 13:00 – UTC
  • 13:00 – UK, Portugal
  • 14:00 – Germany, Central Europe, Sweden, Norway
  • 15:00 – Romania, Israel, Eastern Europe, Ukraine
  • 16:00 – Russia (Moscow, St Petersburg)
  • 21:00 – China, Singapore, Malaysia
  • 22:00 – Japan, Korea
  • 23:00 – Australia (East Coast)