Photocurable, Solventless, Solution-Processable, Silica-Nanoparticle-Dispersed Acryl Hybrid Materials

Solventless silica-acryl hybrid materials composed of organically modified silica nanoparticles and acryl monomers were fabricated using a simple sol-gel process and solvent evaporation. The homogeneously dispersed silica-acryl hybrid materials can be formed into films through a simple solution-coating process and UV curing. The silica-acryl hybrid materials exhibited good photocurability with similar to 90% conversion upon UV exposure and a high transmittance of above 95% in the visible wavelength region regardless of the silica nanoparticle content. In particular, the silica-acryl hybrid materials exhibited increased mechanical hardness and thermal stability directly proportional to the content of silica nanoparticles and exhibited a good surface roughness of similar to 1 nm. Therefore, these silica-acryl hybrid materials are good candidates for coating applications in electronic, electro-optic, and energy devices.