Inorganic-organic hybrid polymers, organically materials properties

Finally, some hybrid inorganic-organic materials such as Ormosil (=Organically modified silica) are also very popular. The structure and properties of Ormosils resemble those of silica and organic polymers. 

Organic polymer matrix when combined with inorganic particles has been developed in past decades as a method for preparing organic-inorganic hybrid materials. These materials possess unique properties including improved physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer systems. Material properties of physically mixed components depend on the concentration of the particle, its adhesion to polymer matrix, the uniformity of particle dispersion, etc. In the past... 

Hybrid inorganic-organic materials can be constructed with a variety of properties according to the desired application. Some of the techniques used for the incorporation of inorganic building blocks into organic polymers include ... 

Molecular hybrids between organic polymers and silica gel are expected to show many possibilities as new composite materials. First, the hybrids may show intermediate properties between plastics and glasses (ceramics). In addition, the composition of the hybrids can be widely varied. In other words, the hybrids can be used to modify the organic polymer materials or to modify the inorganic glassy materials. The hydrophilic modification as described before is a typical example. 

Tian, D., Blacher, S., Ph Dubois and Jerome, R. (1998) Biodegradable and biocompatible inorganic-organic hybrid materials - 2. Dynamic mechanical properties, structure and morphology. Polymer, 39, 855-864. 

Li, S., Zhou, Z., Abernathy, H., Liu, M., Li, W, Ukai, J., Hase, K. and Nakanishii, M. 2006. Synthesis and properties of phosphonic acid-grafted hybrid inorganic-organic polymer membranes. Journal of Materials Chemistry 16 858-864. 

Figure 7.12 Advanced materials spectrum, including not only the extremes of organic polymers and inorganic or carbon materials, but also hybrids of these materials to provide property and processing advantages.

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