Ordered Hybrids from Template-Free Organosilane Self-Assembly

• Published in: Chemistry : a European journal Vol. 20; no. 7; pp. 1790 - 1806
• Main Authors: Chemtob, Abraham, Ni, Lingli, Croutxé-Barghorn, Céline, Boury, Bruno
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 10.02.2014; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; Wiley-VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Amorphous materials; Catalysis; Chemical Sciences; Chemistry; Crosslinking; hybrid materials; Hybrids; Long range order; nanostructures; Nanotechnology; organosilane; Other; Polymerization; Self assembly; Sol gel process; sol-gel processes; Synthesis; Synthesis (chemistry); self-assembly; hybrid materials; organosilane; nanostructures; sol-gel processes; Ordered hybrids
• ISSN: 0947-6539; 1521-3765; 1521-3765
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201303070

Despite considerable achievements over the last two decades, nonporous organic–inorganic hybrid materials are mostly amorphous, especially in the absence of solvothermal processes. The organosilane self‐assembly approach is one of the few opportunities for creating a regular assembly of organic and inorganic moieties. Additionally, well‐established organosilicon chemistry enables the introduction of numerous organic functionalities. The synthesis of periodically ordered hybrids relies on mono‐, bis‐, or multisilylated organosilane building blocks self‐assembling into hybrid mesostructures or superstructures, subsequently cross‐linked by siloxane Si‐O‐Si condensation. The general synthesis procedure is template‐free and one‐step. However, three concurrent processes underlie the generation of self‐organized hybrid networks: thermodynamics of amphiphilic aggregation, dynamic self‐assembly, and kinetically controlled sol–gel chemistry. Hence, the set of experimental conditions and the precursor structure are of paramount importance in achieving long‐range order. Since the first developments in the mid‐1990s, the subject has seen considerable progress leading to many innovative advanced nanomaterials providing promising applications in membranes, pollutant remediation, catalysis, conductive coatings, and optoelectronics. This work reviews, comprehensively, the primary evolution of this expanding field of research. A successful marriage: Periodically ordered hybrids represent the successful marriage of organosilane sol–gel polymerization and supramolecular chemistry. Their template‐free and single‐step synthesis procedure has no equivalent in polymer chemistry (see scheme)