Hybrid Sol−Gel-Derived Polymers: Applications of Multifunctional Materials

Abstract

The homogeneous combination of inorganic and organic moieties in a single-phase material provides unique possibilities to tailor the mechanical, electrical, and optical properties with respect to numerous applications. The synthetic pathway follows the well-known sol−gel procedure. Nevertheless, the establishment of defined hybrid products necessitates a basic understanding of the underlying chemistry as well as of the parameters influencing the processing techniques. Modern spectroscopy provides versatile tools, e.g., multinuclear NMR experiments and Raman scattering to investigate the sol−gel processing of organo(alkoxy)silanes in their co-condensation reactions with main group or transition metal alkoxides as well as in their copolymerization reactions with each other or with organic molecules. This almost infinite modular design concept has led to the industrial application of coatings for transparent plastics, glasses, and metals to prevent these substrates from mechanical abrasion, permeation, or co...