Organic-Inorganic Gels Based on Silica and Multifunctional Acrylates

Rigid, microporous silica rods, prepared previously by the sol-gel process, were infiltrated with three triacrylate monomers to give sequential interpenetrating networks (IPNs). The three commercially available triacrylate monomers are glycerol propoxy triacrylate (GPTA), trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA). Each solution containing a photoinitiator was allowed to infiltrate the silica rod, after which the sample was UV irradiated to polymerize the triacrylate monomer. Emphasis was placed on establishing the infiltration and polymerization conditions leading to optically transparent composites. For comparison, one of the triacrylates (GPTA) was introduced into a hydrolyzing sol-gel formulation containing TEOS, ethanol, water and acid catalyst, to effect a simultaneous IPN. The sequential IPN and the simultaneous IPN samples gave similar transmission curves, despite differences in skeletal density.