HySOL · Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials through Controlled Self-Assembly of Nano-Building Blocks
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2011-04-01 → 2011-12-31
- EU contribution
- €163,800
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MC-IEF
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Results in brief
Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials through Controlled Self-Assembly of Nano-Building Blocks
The purpose of the project was to investigate the technical feasibility and commercial viability of coatings made via the generation and formulation of inorganic-organic hybrids, where the inorganic moiety of the hybrids are silsesquioxanes (SSQs). Generally, SSQs can be prepared via hydrolysis-condensation reactions as depicted in the figure below, leading to various kinds of species depending on the experimental conditions applied. An important goal within this project was to ameliorate - or to develop new - routes of synthesis which is both cost competitive and lend them to the functionalisation appropriate for target applications. In order to achieve this goal, the process has to be industrial feasible but also reproducible and controllable. Therefore, a comprehensive set of analytical methods was applied in order to accurately follow the hydrolysis and condensation steps, identify the different kind of species as well as their characterisation. As a result of the project, a new step-wise approach has been invented for the generation of functionalised silsesquioxanes, mainly leading to species based on polyhedral structures. Several analytical techniques such as NMR, mass spectrometry, IR or GPC were successfully applied to accurately follow hydrolysis-condensation reactions as well as identify the products. It was clearly shown that the obtained products consist of distinct species without residual alkoxy- or hydroxyl groups. This means that the applied synthesis route is leading to fully hydrolysed and condensed functionalised (polyhedral) SSQ species and in short time. More important, with an intensive assistance of the production team from the beginning of the project, the synthesis route was found to be suitable for scale-up and industrial feasibility. Patentability of the process is currently under evaluation. Based on these findings, the project will further explore the generation of fully hydrolysed and condensed SSQ species bearing distinct functional groups in an industrial feasible way. In a potential next step, the up-scaling will be evaluated and with a positive outcome, generated homoeleptic and heteroeleptic functional SSQs may be (co)polymerised. The overall aim is to provide a strategy for the generation of inorganic-organic hybrid materials based on an economic process. Combining the extraordinary properties SSQs already have shown up to date when applied in coatings, and the availability of an industrial economic feasible way to produce them, may open the door for their use in a wide variety of applications.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
There have been major advances in the efficiency and efficacy of flexible electronic devices such as Organic Photovoltaics (OPV’s) and Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDS). Premature failure of the devices will occur through ingress of moisture and oxygen. Today there is however no simple, low cost process to create a “barrier” to such ingress and extend device lifetimes. This project will investigate the structure–barrier property relationships in inorganic-organic hybrid coatings. The structures will be formed through the controlled self-assembly of nano-scale inorganic building-blocks synthesized through adaption of sol-gel chemistry. A variety of characterization methodologies including NMR, GPC, LC-MASS, DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), WAXD (wide-angle X-ray diffraction), SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering) will be used to assess the structures formed. Focus will be directed toward regimes of hybrid composition where the inorganic self-assembles as lamellae. Such structures offer the prospects of coatings which give both the high “barrier” and the high optical transparency required in targeted applications. Cytec Surface Specialties, a chemical company, is the world leader in the supply of radiation curing resins for coatings and has the capabilities to formulate, apply, cure and test these hybrid coatings. The prospective fellow, Dr D Kogelnig, will have ample potential to expand his chemical skills from his previous work on the P/O/C based inorganic chemistry of ionic liquids to Si/O/C based chemistry required here and broaden his technical competences in polymer chemistry. His geographic transfer (Austria to Belgium) and from academia to industry is an example of genuine mobility. The training available would help him establish a career in Industry, but should he return to academia his experience will make his potential contribution from an academic environment all the more valued by industrial partners.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- ALLNEX BELGIUM · Bruxelles / BrusselCoordinatorBelgium
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union