We report an ionic hybrid based on silica nanoparticles as the anion and amine-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a cation. The charge on the nanoparticle anion is carried by the surface hydroxyls. SAXS and TEM reveal an exceptional degree of dispersion of the silica in the polymer and high degree of order in both thin film and bulk forms. In addition to better dispersion, the ionic hybrid shows improved flow characteristics compared to silica/PEO mixtures in which the ionic interactions are absent.

Co3O4-modified CeO2 (Co/Ce 1:4) was prepared by a combination of sol–gel processing and solvothermal treatment. The distribution of Co was controlled by means of the synthesis protocol to yield three different morphologies, namely, Co3O4 nanoparticles located on the surface of CeO2 particles, coexistent Co3O4 and CeO2 nanoparticles, or Co oxide structures homogeneously distributed within CeO2. The effect of the different morphologies on the properties of Co3O4–CeO2 was investigated with regard to the crystallite phase(s), particle size, surface area, and catalytic activity for CO oxidation. The material with Co3O4 nanoparticles finely dispersed on the surface of CeO2 particles had the highest catalytic activity.

A new type of highly temperature stable ionic liquid (IL) with strongly temperature dependent nanostructures is reported. The molecular design relies on the use of a liquid polymer with an ionic liquid headgroup, introducing liquid properties by both the polymeric and the ionic liquid (IL) headgroup. The IL polymers (poly(isobutylene)s) 3a–3c (PIB-ILs) were prepared by a combination of living carbocationic polymerization (LCCP) and subsequent “click” chemistry for attachment of methylimidazolium (3a), pyrrolidinium (3b), and triethylammonium cations (3c). All three investigated PIB-ILs exhibited pronounced nanostructural organization at room temperature depending strongly on the nature of the anchored cation. Whereas the morphology of the imidazolium-based PIB-IL 3a shows high thermal stability up to the decomposition temperature, order–order (OOT) and lattice disorder–order transitions (LDOT) characteristic for common ionomers could be observed in the case of pyrrolidinium 3b and ammonium-based 3c PIB-ILs. Control of flow behavior as well as adjustable relaxation times from the liquid to the viscoelastic regime can be adjusted by choice of the appropriate IL headgroup.

ZnTiO 3 was synthesized by sol-gel processing using a single-source precursor in which the two metal atoms are linked by means of p-carboxybenzaldehyde oxime. According to spectroscopic investigations, the COOH group is coordinated to Zn 2+ and the oximate group to a Ti(OiPr) 3 moiety. The temperature-dependent structure evolution of ZnTiO 3 was investigated to illustrate the advantage of this approach compared to materials prepared from two individual precursors (zinc benzoate and oximate-modified Ti(OiPr) 4 ). ZnTiO 3 prepared from the single-source precursor has a more homogeneous structure through all stages of the synthesis process and a higher surface area. The latter results in a higher activity in the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.

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