A new approach to the preparation of PDMS–SiO 2 based hybrids – A structural study
Abstract(#br)Due to its elasticity, transparency and biocompatibility, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been used as an organic component of hybrid materials in different fields of application such as photonics or biomaterials. Typically an acidic medium is used in the sol–gel processing of PDMS–metal oxide systems due to its catalytic effect. Furthermore, when dealing with highly reactive transition metal alkoxides, a chelating agent is pointed out as being necessary to avoid phase separation.