Synthesis of Organic-Inorganic Polymer Hybrids Utilizing Amphiphilic Solvent as a Compatibilizer

Transparent organic-inorganic polymer hybrids with various organic polymers (polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)) that are soluble in amphiphilic solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), could be easily synthesized by the sol-gel reaction of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) in an amphiphilic solvent. It is because DMF and DMAc form strong hydrogen bonds with the silanol groups of the silica gel and have a high compatibility with organic polymers. DMF and DMAc play a role as compatibilizers between the organic polymer and silica gel. The hydrogen bonding interaction was confirmed by FT-IR spectra. The compatibility of the organic polymer with the amphiphilic solvent was explained by the solubility of the polymer in an amphiphilic solvent. The thermal stability of the polymer hybrids obtained was increased compared to that of bulk polymer by posttreatment. The homogeneity of the obtained polymer hybrids was confirmed by SEM and nitrogen porosimetry studies.