Hybrid organic - inorganic materials with second-order optical nonlinearities synthesized via sol - gel chemistry

The sol - gel process provides a method to blend, down to the molecular scale, organic and inorganic components which can be mixed in virtually any ratio to obtain the desired properties. These hybrid nanocomposites are extremely versatile in their composition, processing and optical and mechanical properties. Hybrid organic - inorganic materials offer a wide range of interesting applications especially in optics. A short review of the most striking examples of hybrid organic - inorganic material used to produce materials with second-order optical nonlinearities is presented.