Mesh Size Control of Organic‐Inorganic Hybrid Gels by Means of a Hydrosilylation Co‐Gelation of Siloxane or Silsesquioxane and α, ω‐Non‐Conjugated Dienes

Abstract

AbstractOrganic‐inorganic hybrid gels have been synthesized by means of co‐gelation of multi‐functional cyclic siloxane, 1,3,5,7‐tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), or cubic silsesquioxane, 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15‐octakis(dimethylsilyloxy)pentacyclo‐[9,5,1,1,1,1]octasilsesquioxane (POSS), as crosslinking reagents with α,ω‐non‐conjugated dienes, a hexa‐1,5‐diene (HD) and deca‐1,9‐diene (DD) mixture, using hydrosilylation reaction with Pt catalyst. Network structures of the resulting co‐gels have been quantitatively characterized by means of a novel scanning microscopic light scattering system. The feed ratio of HD to DD strongly affects the gelation and mesh size of the co‐gels. The critical concentration of gelation has maximum values in the co‐gelation with a feed ratio of [HD]/[DD] = 1. The mesh‐size of the resulting co‐gels underwent changes with the [HD]/[DD] ratio in the feed, and the structure (geometry) of the crosslinking reagents affect the trend of the mesh size change. The TMCTS‐HD/DD co‐gel obtained with a feed ratio of [HD]/[DD] = 1, showed the minimum mesh size. Whereas the mesh size of the POSS‐HD/DD co‐gel increased with an increase of DD in the feed ratio. The mesh‐size distribution of the co‐gels was narrower than the gels synthesized from single α,ω‐non‐conjugated dienes. Co‐gelation of a TMCT/POSS‐DD system was also investigated, and the critical gelation concentration showed maximum values for the co‐gelation with a feed ratio of [TMCTS]/[POSS] = 1. The mesh size of the co‐gel increased with increasing POSS ratio in the feed.magnified image