Patent ID: 8062809

Claim:
An optical article configured to store holographic data, to form holographic optical elements, or to construct waveguides, comprising: a matrix formed in situ using one of cationic epoxy polymerization, cationic vinyl ether polymerization, cationic alkenyl ether polymerization, cationic alkyl ether polymerization, cationic ketene acetal polymerization, epoxy-amine step polymerization, epoxy-mercaptan step polymerization, unsaturated ester-amine step polymerization (via Michael addition), unsaturated ester-mercaptan step polymerization (via Michael addition), vinyl-silicon hydride step polymerization (hydrosilylation), isocyanate-hydroxyl step polymerization (urethane formation), isocyanate-amine step polymerization (urea formation), Diels-Alder step polymerization, anionic polymerization of cyanoacrylates and sol-gel reactions to form inorganic or hybrid inorganic/organic networks, comprising functional moieties pendant upon or within the matrix backbone; and write components that can be reacted to bind to the functional moieties to form a pattern within the optical article when the optical article is exposed to an interference pattern and wherein the write components are not bonded to the matrix and are able to diffuse through the matrix prior to binding to the matrix to form the pattern.