Incorporation and optical behaviour of 4-dimethylaminazobenzene in sol-gel silica thin coatings

Various percentages of 4-dimethylaminazobenzene (dimethyl yellow, DY) have been incorporated into silica sol-gel coatings prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate and methyltriethoxysilane. The dye was entraped in the sol-gel layer maintaining its acid-basic properties. Sensitivity of coatings against pH in aqueous media was evaluated by absorption spectrophotometry for each type of samples, including one pre-treated at low temperature. The response time of coatings from acid pH to neutral conditions and vice versa allows to propose the use of this system as a pH optical sensor. On the other hand, several tests oriented to point out the behaviour of coatings during chemical attack were performed: firstly by dipping the samples in distilled water for different lengths of time and, secondly, submitting them to reiterated cycles at 60 °C in a washing machine using conventional abrasive detergent. Results obtained in both cases indicated good resistance, especially for those hybrid films prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate and methyltriethoxysilane doped with 5 wt.% DY.