Organic - Inorganic Nano-Hybrid Materials

Nano-ordered composite materials consisting of organic polymers and inorganic materials have been attracting attention for the purpose of the creation of high-performance or high-functional polymeric materials. Especially, the word of polymer hybrid claims the blends of organic and inorganic components at nano-level dispersion. By using this idea, an enhancement of mechanical strength of organic polymers with silica particles is possible. High transparency of this material is another important property and indispensable for development of optical waveguides, optical biosensors, non-linear optical materials, and contact lenses. Hybrid materials are also potential candidates for catalysts and gas separation membranes. The sol-gel reaction makes possible to incorporate the organic polymer segments in the network matrix of inorganic materials. The high homogeneity of the hybrid strongly suggests that the organic polymer segments and inorganic one are blended at the nano-meter level. The organic polymer nano-hybrids can be considered not only as the combination of organic polymer and inorganic materials, but as quite new materials.