Small-angle X-ray scattering investigation of the cluster distribution in inorganic-organic hybrid polymers prepared from organically substituted metal oxide clusters

Hybrid polymers prepared by radical polymerisation of the tetranuclear metal oxide clusters Ta4O4(OEt)(8)(OMc)(4) (OMc = methacrylate) with styrene, or of Ta4O4(OEt)(8)(OMc)(4), Ti4O2(OEt)(6)(OMc)(6) and Hf4O4(OMc)(12) with methyl methacrylate were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to elucidate the distribution of the clusters in the polymer. Besides the random distribution of the clusters, three different types of aggregation behaviour were observed with two different inter-cluster distances each: the shorter distance being constant when the cluster portion in the polymer was varied, the longer distance being constant or both distances being constant. (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.