Synthesis and characteristics of curable siloxane-based organic-inorganic hybrid materials modified with vinyl and isopropenoxy

Abstract

New curable organic-inorganic hybrid materials with a low internal optical attenuation of <0.35 dB/cm at the telecommunication wavelength and high thermal stability (∼370 °C) were synthesized by a nonhydrolytic reaction using vinyltriiospropenoxysilane (VTIPS) and diphenylsilanediol (DPSD) in which alcohol condensation takes place without hydrolysis of the starting materials. The molecular structure and the reaction mechanism of the synthesized organic-inorganic hybrid materials were investigated. The nonhydrolytic reaction of VTIPS and DPSD represented a high degree of condensation, and the molecules of the organic-inorganic hybrid materials exhibited the structure of an oligosiloxane modified with diphenyl, vinyl, and isopropenoxy. These organic-inorganic hybrid materials cured by polymerization of vinyl and isopropenoxy groups can be promising candidates for optical applications due to their good optical and thermal properties in addition to the availability of soft-lithography.