Fluoroalkoxides as molecular precursors of fluoride materials by the sol-gel process

Numerous works have reported the preparation of pure oxide materials using the sol-gel process. The purpose of this paper is to show that it is possible to obtain pure fluoride homometallic or heterometallic materials at room temperature by the hydrolysis of tailored molecular precursors. The work is focussed on alkaline-earth and lanthanide fluoroalkoxides ([M(OR)n]n' where OR = fluoroalkoxo group) and the characterization of the final products of their hydrolysis. The molecular precursors were characterized by FT-Raman and the final powders by XRD and EDXRMA. The formation of these fluoride materials involves fluoride organic by-products. The reactivity of these organic compounds on various substrates in terms of surface modification has been studied.