Prospects of sol-gel technology towards luminescent materials

Sol-gel method for producing glasses or glass films at relatively low temperature allows incorporation of a large number of inorganic and organic additives during the process of glass formation. We outline some of the sophisticated products and devices obtained by the set-gel method. Luminescence solar concentrators, tunable lasers in the visible part of the spectrum, active waveguides, semiconductor particles and sensors for environmental impurities. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.