Perfluoropolyether-Based Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Coatings: Preparation and Surface Characterization
Organic-inorganic hybrid materials are very interesting for several applications thanks to their extraordinary properties based on the synergistic combination of the different building blocks.1 The combination - on a nanometric scale - of inorganic moieties (with their typical properties such as high modulus, thermal stability and low coefficient of thermal expansion) with organic oligomers or polymers (having characteristics of high ductility and low temperature processing) has high potential for future applications and has, therefore, attracted attention during the last years. Several applications have already been developed for these kinds of hybrid materials,2 particularly in the field of protective coatings of both organic and inorganic substrates.
Among the large number of methodologies for combining organic and inorganic building blocks in one material, the sol-gel process represents one of the preferred ways thanks to its mild operative conditions.3 The classical sol-gel process consists of a two-step hydrolysis-condensation reaction starting with metal alkoxides M(OR)4, typically tetraethoxysilane, according to the scheme shown in Table 1.