Silicate polymers, redox

Under the appropriate conditions, monomers occupy virtually the entire space of pores or the whole interlayer space. Subsequent oxidative polymerization was carried out in the presence of molecular oxygen (as an electron acceptor) and a redox-active host that catalyzes electron transfer. Layered silicates containing metal ions are of particular interest because they initiate polymerization of an intercalated monomer. Thus when Na ions in hectorite are replaced by Cu or Fe, styrene can be polymerized both in the pores and on the smface. The polymer has a brushlike structure, which indicates that the inorganic smface possesses an orienting effect. This effect decreases as the chain grows away from the smface. 

Electric conduction can also be carried out by a hopping mechanism between adjacent redox sites. This mode of self-exchange charge transfer within silicate composite was exploited by the incorporation of redox polymers such as the osmium redox polymer, [Os(bpy)(2)(PVP)(10)Cl]Cl in the silicate [101], A similar approach based on the creation of naphthoquinone-modified silicate CCE was also demonstrated by Rabinovich et al. [47], Here, the binder itself functions as a charge transfer polymer due to the presence of pendant quinone functionalities. 

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