Production and properties of holographic photopolymeric material in a hybrid sol-gel matrix

This paper describes a method of obtaining a holographic photopolymer material 0.5-1 mm thick in a hybrid organic-inorganic matrix and the results of investigating it as a recording medium of 3D holographic memory, as well as for fabricating templates of 2D and 3D photonic crystals. To obtain such a material, a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone with triethoxyvinylsilane was synthesized, followed by hydrolytic condensation of the given copolymer with tetraethoxysilane presol. It is shown that a solid sol-gel matrix that is stable against cracking can be formed with a presol:copolymer weight ratio of 1:4.