Use of polymeric resin in the formation of SiO 2 hybrid gels

Abstract

A new organic–inorganic hybrid material with interpenetrating polymer networks was synthesized with a phase of SiO 2 made by sol–gel chemistry and an organic phase made from a polymeric resin obtained by polyesterification between metal chelate complexes (formed by metallic ions and α-hydroxycarboxylic acids) and a polyfunctional alcohol. One modification in this method consists in preparing organic polymers doped with europium III/dipicolinic acid or terbium III/1,2-phenylenedioxidiacetic acid complexes. Europium and terbium luminescent properties were used as probe to obtain structural information about the hybrid gel. To the organic polymers we added tetraorthosilicates to obtain transparent and luminescent organic–inorganic hybrid materials through the sol–gel process. Luminescent and infrared spectra and thermogravimetric properties were measured.