Two types of hybrid gels based on silica and perfluorinated polymers have been prepared. The first type involves a perfluorinated polymer containing acrylate groups. Perfluoropolyether diol diacrylate (PFDA) was functionalized by reacting it with (3-mercapto-propyl) trimethoxysilane by a Michael addition. The resulting silyl derivative (PFDAS) was able to copolymerize with a silica precursor, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), resulting in perfluorinated polymer/silica hybrid gels. For the second type, perfluoroalkylsilane (FAS), vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), and TEOS were polymerized in one step. In both cases, the gels were transparent, crack-free and water repellent. Since the inorganic and organic components are covalently bonded to each other, these materials can be classified as organic/inorganic copolymers.

Date Published: 15 January 1996
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 2611, Optical Network Engineering and Integrity, (15 January 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.230107

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2611:
Optical Network Engineering and Integrity
Hakan H. Yuce; Dilip K. Paul; Roger A. Greenwell, Editor(s)