Preparation and Optical Characterization of Thick-Film Zirconia and Titania Ormosils

Crack-free films with thicknesses of up to 30 μm were prepared by the sol-gel process using the dip-coating technique. Thick films were obtained from various starting solutions based on two, three or four components, with particular emphasis on ternary systems. The ternary systems were composed of two tetraalkoxy precursors (a silicon tetraalkoxide and a zirconium or a titanium tetralkoxide ) and a trialkoxysilane with a non-hydrolyzable group. …