Hybrid Materials Doped with Covalently Bound Perylene Dyes through the Sol−Gel Process

We synthesized solubilized alkoxysilane-modified perylene derivatives which were covalently attached to an inorganic host matrix, prepared via the sol−gel process. It was shown that the covalent attachment of the alkoxysilane-modified perylenes led to more homogeneous sols and higher concentrations of the dyes in the sol than the physical admixing of corresponding derivatives. Furthermore, we found that modifying the inorganic network with organic groups caused better solubility characteristics for the perylene derivatives. Attachment of the alkoxysilane-modified perylene derivatives was improved using a more reactive network precursor such as zirconium n -propoxide. Monoliths were prepared by using special temperature programs developed for each sol. Photostability tests of these monoliths showed that chemical attachment of the chromophores led to a significant improvement in the photostability in comparison to their physically admixed analogues.