ABSTRACT:Organic-inorganic polymer hybrids having IPN (Interpenetrating Polymer Network) structure were synthesized utilizing an in-situ method, which was the simultaneous formation of organic gel through metal-bipyridyl complex and silica gel. Metal-bipyridyl complex was used as a cross-linking point to prepare the organic gel. The properties of the polymer hybrids, such as solvent-resistant and thermal properties, were different according to the kinds and the weight of the used metal ions. Especially, thermo-responsive polymer hybrids could be obtained using iron (II)-bipyridyl complex as a cross-linking point in the silica matrix.KEY WORDS Organic-Inorganic Polymer Hybrids / Sol-Gel Reaction / In-Situ Method / Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) Structure / Solvent Resistant Property / Organic-inorganic polymer nanocomposite materials have received a great amount of scientific and technological interests. [1][2][3][4][5] Organic-inorganic polymer hybrids have not only the properties themselves of organic polymer and inorganic material but also the unique properties, which results from mixing of organic polymer and inorganic material at a nano-meter level. For instance, organic-inorganic polymer hybrids have high transparency, 6 excellent solvent-resistance, 7 gas-barrier property, flame retardance, gas-selective property, 8 and so on. The sol-gel reaction of alkoxysilane is one of the most efficient methods for the preparation of organicinorganic polymer hybrids. The method comprises initial hydrolysis of the alkoxysilane and subsequent condensation and removal of solvent, resulting in the silica gel. 9 One of the advantages of the sol-gel techniques to prepare composite materials is that the reactions can be performed under ambient condition, while conventional melt fusion technique for silica glass requires high temperature.Organic-inorganic polymer hybrids have been prepared by utilizing the formation of covalent bonds between organic polymers and inorganic phases. [10][11][12] In our group, a large variety of organic-inorganic polymer hybrids has been prepared through the sol-gel reaction of alkoxysilane. The most common method is utilizing physical interactions such as hydrogen bonding, 13-15 aromatic, 16 and ionic interactions 17 between organic polymer and silica gel. Another method is an in-situ method, in which the polymerization of vinyl monomer and the sol-gel reaction of silica gel are carried out simultaneously. By utilizing this method, trans- † To whom correspondence should be addressed. parent polymer hybrids can be prepared even if there is no covalent or physical interaction between organic polymer and silica gel. For example, transparent polymer hybrids can be prepared by the simultaneous occurrence of the polymerization of styrene monomer and the formation of silica gel. 18 Recently, we succeeded in the preparation of transparent polymer hybrids utilizing new in-situ method (Scheme 1). 19 In this method, the cross-linking reaction of bipyridyl-containing polymer was carried out together...