Polyimide/silica/titania nanohybrids via a novel non-hydrolytic sol-gel route

Polyimide/silica/titania hybrid films were prepared via a non-hydrolytic sol-gel route. Silicic acid and titanium tetrachloride were used as the precursors of silica and titania, respectively. The absorption band of Si-O-Ti bonds in FTIR spectra of the hybrid films revealed the formation of the hybrid inorganic network between SiO2 and TiO2. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the nanometer-scaled inorganic domains were homogeneously dispersed in polyimide matrix due to the introduction of silica-stabilized TiO2 and the interactions between organic and inorganic phases. The studies on the optical properties of the hybrid films indicated the red-shift of the absorption band increased with increasing TiO2 content, while all the hybrid films maintained their transparencies. The surface resistances of the hybrid samples decreased with increasing TiO2 content. The thermal decomposition temperature of the ternary hybrid films decreased slightly with increasing TiO2 content. This kind of hybrid materials may have potential application in the preparation of opto-electronic devices. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.