Effect of preparation conditions on the optical and physical properties of an epoxy-functional inorganic-organic hybrid material system

Synthesis and characterization of a Zr‐containing silicate‐based epoxy‐functional polymer nanocomposite system

“…a–d. As expected, the intensity of the absorption band around 613 cm −1 corresponding to ZrO species was relatively high in the case of 50 mol% Zr with respect to 25 mol% (Fig. a–c).…”

“…An advantage of epoxy‐based systems is that the crosslinking of epoxy functional groups can be achieved either by a suitable catalyst or by irradiation with UV light or visible light (VL) in the presence of a suitable photo‐initiator . In addition to Si‐containing precursors, alkoxy compounds of transition metals such as Ti or Zr can also be involved in the sol–gel synthesis so that functional properties can be tuned . For instance, Zr and/or Ti may be incorporated into sol–gel‐derived inorganic–organic hybrid material systems in order to improve their mechanical properties, which are of critical importance in dental restoration/adhesion applications.…”

“…For instance, Zr and/or Ti may be incorporated into sol–gel‐derived inorganic–organic hybrid material systems in order to improve their mechanical properties, which are of critical importance in dental restoration/adhesion applications. Moreover, these species are known to be capable of catalysing epoxy ring opening reactions, which might thus facilitate the formation of polymeric ether species within the structure . The employment of these species in the sol–gel synthesis of inorganic‐organic hybrid material systems, therefore, may result in changes in the microstructure of the material, and hence affect its functional properties.…”

Effects of refractive index modifiers and UV light on an epoxy-functional inorganic–organic hybrid sol–gel derived thin film system

“…1(a) and (b) shows the variation of refractive index as a function of Zr or DPDMS content, respectively, for both unexposed and UV-exposed samples. As anticipated [13,17,18], increasing Zr content increased the refractive index of the system for both unexposed and UV-exposed samples. Also, UV irradiation caused an additional increase in the refractive index of the system, consistent with the previous observations [19].…”

Synthesis of a liquid zirconium hybrid resin and the ability of the resin to accelerate the curing of a transparent silicone-modified cycloaliphatic epoxy nanocomposite

“…The sol‐gel process has been widely studied because it can be used to produce nanocomposites with pre‐determined structures at mild temperatures and because it can allow the particle size and morphology of the product to be controlled. The sol‐gel synthesis of zirconium hybrid nanocomposites has been studied with the aim of improving the homogeneous morphology, thermal stability and ionic conductivity of the products and to determine their structures and the interactions between them . Mahmood et al used a sol‐gel technique to synthesize epoxidized natural rubber/zirconia hybrid films, varying the amount of zirconium(IV) n ‐propoxide added in an attempt to improve the thermal stability and glass transition temperature ( T g ) of the product .…”