The Effect of Ormosil Matrix Composition and Alkaline Earth Metal Doping on the Photochromic Response of Ormosil-Phosphotungstate Films

In this study, polyoxometallate based hybrid photochromic materials were prepared by incorporating phosphotungstate anion, PW12O403−, (PW) in hybrid tetraethyl orthosilicate and (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane TEOS-GPTMS derived organomodified silicates (Ormosil) matrices by sol-gel method and the resulting materials were used to prepare multilayer films by dip-coating method. The effect of alkaline earth metal cations doping and matrix composition (%GPTMS) on the photochromic response of the hybrid films was studied in details. GPTMS, after undergoing ring opening reaction, leads to t...