Synthesis of a 12-membered cyclic siloxane possessing alkoxysilyl groups as a nanobuilding block and its use for preparation of gas permeable membranes

A 12-membered cyclic siloxane possessing alkoxysilyl groups was synthesized as a nanobuilding block for siloxane-based materials by the alkoxysilylation of organometallasiloxane containing a 12-membered ring with Si-Me and Si-O^- groups as the side groups. The cyclic structure was retained not only in the hydrolysis and condensation reactions (sol-gel process) of the alkoxysilyl groups but also in the xerogel and membrane preparation processes. The degree of condensation of the xerogel derived from the 12-membered ring siloxane was higher than that derived from alkoxysilane monomers, indicating that the alkoxysilylated cyclic oligosiloxane is useful for controlling siloxane networks. A membrane composed of the cyclic siloxane was prepared by coating the hydrolyzed solution onto a porous alumina tube for evaluating the gas permeation properties. The membrane showed a molecular sieving effect for H₂/SF₆.