Polymer-inorganic hybrid membranes mechanical properties

Therefore, numerous siloxane-based hybrid organic-inorganic materials have been developed in the past few years. This development yields many interesting new materials, with improved mechanical properties timable between those of glasses and those of polymers. Sol-gel processed hybrid materials such as, optical devices, new sensors and biosensors, new catalysts or membranes have been reported to have high efficiencly, good selectivity and stability (Lebeau, 1999). 

Many efforts have been made in the design and fabrication of controlled organic/inorganic composites with novel properties, which include chemical, optical, electrical, biological, and mechanical properties [84-87]. For these hybrid systems, phase separation occurs naturally based on the fact that they are composed of two materials with totally different chemical characteristics [88,89]. MMMs are fabricated from polymer matrix and inorganic particles for improvement polymeric membrane properties. Dispersed particles in polymeric matrix are categorized in two groups porous and dense (non-porous) particles [90]. 

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