The synthesis of sol-gel materials induced by ultrasonic action (sonolysis) is implemented as an alternative method for the fabrication of highly pure organic-inorganic composites with good monolithic and optical properties. The resulting SiO2 glass exhibits high porosity and allows the inclusion of organic compounds in the colloidal sol-state. In this work, optical properties of trans-poly(I-ethynylpyrene) (trans-PEP) and cispoly(I-ethynylpyrene) (cis-PEP) (M-w=24,000 g/mol) incorporated in this kind of gels were studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Absorption spectra of the polymers showed that trans-PEP possesses a higher degree of conjugation than its homologue cis-PEP in sol-gel. Intramolecular interactions occur between adjacent pendant pyrene units (associated pyrenes) present in each polymer, giving rise to static excimer emissions, strongest in cis-PEP because of the shorter distances between aromatic rings. The results were compared to those previously reported for these polymers in solution. Besides, trans- and cis-PEP exhibited nonlinear optical properties like third harmonic generation (THG), which were measured in sol-gel phase for spin-coated film samples. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.