Sol-gel chemistry of methacryloxy- and styryl-functionalized organotrialkoxysilanes

摘要

Organotrialkoxysilanes, such as 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (1, TMPM), 3-(triethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (2, TEPM), and styrylethyltrimethoxysilane (3, STMS) (Figure 1), have been widely used as interface modifiers or coupling agents for composites [1]. More recently, they have been utilized as building blocks in hybrid organic-inorganic materials to introduce organic functionality within an inorganic network [2]. While there have been studies of the sol-gel chemistry of these monomers co-polymerized with tetraalkoxysilanes, there have been few reports on the sol-gel chemistry of these organotrialkoxysilanes by themselves [3]. In this study, the sol-gel chemistry of monomers 1-3 was examined with varying monomer concentration, catalyst (HCl, neutral, or NaOH), and water: monomer stoichiometry. The primary objective was to determine if gels would form under sol-gel conditions and the fate and impact of the electrophilic organic groups.