Processing of polymers from SiO2 and glycerol

Abstract

SiO₂ can react with ethylene glycol (EG) in the presence of triethylenetetramine (TETA) as a base, in an oxide one pot synthesis ("OOPS") process to produce glycolato siloxane polymer. The resulting product was then crosslinked to form a network-like polymer by using glycerol as a crosslinking agent. The final product was a white fine powder. This polymer was characterized by FTIR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and thermogravimetry (TGA). The crosslinked polymer was cast as a film and the modulus measured using a rheometer to study the mechanical properties at different temperatures (from 25℃ to 250℃) obtained by the variation of TETA concentration and crosslinking reaction time.