Synthesis of layered inorganic-organic nanocomposite films from mono-, di-, and trimethoxy(alkyl)silane-tetramethoxysilane systems

Transparent thin films of layered inorganic-organic nanocomposites were prepared by the sol-gel reactions of alkyldimethylmethoxysilane, alkylmethyldimethoxysilane, and alkyltrimethoxysilane in the presence of tetramethoxysilane followed by spin-coating. The macroscopic homogeneity and the nanostructural ordering of the films were strongly affected by the degree of polycondensation in the precursor solutions. The formation of siloxane networks containing organosiloxane units was confirmed by ²⁹Si MAS NMR, suggesting that the structure of the inorganic-organic interface can be designed at a molecular level by the functionalities in the alkylmethoxysilanes used. On the other hand, the ²⁹Si NMR spectra of the precursor solutions showed that the monomeric species almost disappeared and that co-condensed oligomers were formed at the initial stages of the reactions. In the cases of mono- and dimethoxysilanes, the ability to form ordered structures depends largely on the co-condensation with tetramethoxysilane in the precursor solutions.