Relation between the scratch resistance and the chemical structure of organic-inorganic hybrid coatings

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials can be defined as materials combining organic and inorganic domains in a nanometric scale. The development of these organic-inorganic hybrids has achieved properties from both organic and inorganic materials. In this research we have studied the scratch behaviour of coatings of organic-inorganic hybrid materials prepared by sol-gel processing, using as precursors, trialkoxysilanes with organic functionalities that react via free radical polymerization. We have also evaluated the influence of pure inorganic precursor as tetralkoxysilanes or pure organic precursors on the scratch behaviour. The main goal of this research was to evaluate how the chemical structure of the organic-inorganic hybrid influences the scratch behaviour of the coatings. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.