Synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid sols using trifunctional organoalkoxysilanes for dispersion agents

We investigated the properties of synthetically produced organic-inorganic hybrid coatings by a sol-gel process. The properties of organic-inorganic hybrid materials arise from the synergism between the properties of the individual components. One of the typical way to synthesize the organic-inorganic hybrid materials is to use silica and silanes. A colloidal silica sol was used as an inorganic material. Methyltrimethoxysilane and phenyltrimethoxysilane were used as the trifunctional organoalkoxysilanes. Hybrid sols of colloidal silica and silanes were synthesized as a function of reaction time and methyltrimethoxysilane/phenyltrimethoxysilane ratio by a sol-gel process. Physical properties of sol solutions such as stability, viscosity, and transmittance were investigated. The surface roughness and surface free energy of the coatings were also measured.