Enhancement of dye dispersibility in silica hybrids through local heating induced by the Imidazolium group under microwave irradiation

We prepared imidazolium-containing silica hybrid films by sol-gel reactions of 1-(trimethoxysilylpropyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride under microwave irradiation. Furthermore, we incorporated hydrophobic dyes such as pyrene and 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde into the silica hybrids, and we investigated the dispersion behaviors of these dyes in the matrices. The local heating of the imidazolium groups under microwave irradiation was suggested to contribute to the enhancement of reaction rates in the sol-gel process. Finally, we achieved the incorporation of higher dye concentrations in the silica hybrids compared with those achieved with conventional heating.