Functional Nano-Coating Materials by Michael Addition and Ring-opening Polymerization: Reactivity, Molecular Architecture and Refractive index

Understanding the molecular interaction and morphology of organic-inorganic hybrid materials is an important and fundamental assignment to develop novel high-performance materials. In this work, we developed two types of hybrid coating materials by using different silane coupling agents via Michael addition reaction and ring-opening polymerization. The changes in molecular interaction and morphology of the hybrid coatings due to chemical composition and curing temperature were studied by electron microscopy, spectroscopy and solid state (29)Si nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Fundamental differences were observed in HYBRID I and HYBRID II coatings during the nucleation stage that was dependent on the curing temperature. Higher curing temperature of the hybrid coatings resulted in improved uniformity and greater crystallinity of dispersed phases, and better control of the morphology compared with coatings cured at lower temperatures. The higher curing temperature provided more consistent nucleation sites for the growth of larger nanostructures of desired characteristics (e.g., size and surface features). There is great flexibility in synthesizingg these hybrid materials where different structure and morphology can be achieved to produce materials whose applications can range from adhesives to protective coatings. Refractive index results revealed that HYBRID I (90 °C) coating showed higher refractive index than HYBRID II (90 °C) coating.