Sol-gel-processed SiO2/TiO2/methylcellulose composite materials for optical waveguides

摘要

SiO2-TiO2-methylcellulose (MC) composite materials processed by the sol-gel technique were studied for optical waveguide applications. Dense, crack-free and homogeneous films as thick as 2 μm were obtained via the organic binder MC-assisted sol-gel process and single coating with low-temperature treatment. Light waveguiding in such hybrid film was demonstrated at a wavelength of 650 nm. About 1.1 dBcm or lower propagation loss for the SiO2 (80 mol%)-TiO2 (20 mol%)-MC (22 wt%) film can be achieved. The effects of thermal treatment on the structure and properties of the gel films were also investigated.