Processing and Properties of Inorganic-Organic Hybrids Containing Various Inorganic Components

Inorganic-organic hybrids containing various inorganic components have been synthesized from silanol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and three different inorganic components: Al(O-sec-C4H9)3, Ti(OC2H5)4 and Ta(OC2H5)5. The hybrids obtained were transparent and flexible. Dynamic mechanical measurements and stress-strain experiments were carried out in order to study the effect of inorganic component on the properties of the Metal-O-PDMS hybrids. The storage modulus at around room temperature increased in the order Al-O-PDMS, Ti-O-PDMS, Ta-O-PDMS hybrids, indicating that the three-dimensional network structure became denser in this order. The tensile strength increased in the order Al-O-PDMS, Ta-O-PDMS, Ti-O-PDMS hybrids. The difference in tensile strength is considered to be related to the strength of the interaction between the inorganic component and PDMS. The elongation at failure also depended on the inorganic component. Ti-O-PDMS hybrid exhibited the largest elongation of all the samples (more than 200%).