Study of photopolymerizable sol-gel glasses incorporating ionic liquid: Impact on material properties and holographic gratings performance

In this work we explore the possibilities of incorporating a specific type of Ionic Liquid (IL) in the synthesis of photopolymerizable glasses using sol-gel techniques. For this purpose, three different photomaterials were synthesized, characterized and compared: our previously developed photopolymerizable glass incorporating a High Refractive Index Species (HRIS), and two new materials incorporating IL, with and without HRIS respectively. Diffraction gratings were recorded in photopolymerizable glass samples of each material, showing distinct holographic behaviours.