Fractality and metastability of a complex amide cross-linked dipodal alkyl/siloxane hybrid

last updated: 2014-11-20
TitleFractality and metastability of a complex amide cross-linked dipodal alkyl/siloxane hybrid
Publication TypePapers in Scientific Journals
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsNunes S. C., Ferreira C. B., Ferreira R. A. S., Carlos L. D., Ferro M. C., Mano J. F., Almeida P., and de Zea Bermudez V.
Abstract

A novel room-temperature white light emitter amide-cross linked alkyl/siloxane hybrid material (amidosil A) was produced by self-organization through the rational design of the precursor. This hybrid displays a highly complex hierarchical architecture composed of two lamellar bilayer structures, the relative spatial arrangement of which yields a multiplicity of ordered nanodomains with variable shapes and sizes, some of them persisting at the microscale. Macroscopically A was obtained as clusters of hydrophobic hemispherical and spherical micro-objects exhibiting a lettuce coral-like pattern, which represent unprecedented pieces of evidence illustrating the principles of self-similarity and demonstrating that the time scale of biomimetic morphogenesis in this non-bridged silsesquioxane is similar to that in biological systems. Heating metastable A above the order/disorder phase transition acted as an externalquake driving the material to another metastable state, which has persisted for more than 12 months, and was manifested as a marked change of all the macroscopic properties. The occurrence of the self-organization process operating on A, instead of a self-directed assembly, is primarily associated with the formation/rupture of hydrogen bonds, therefore supporting that these interactions are critical factors dictating on what side of the self-assembly/self-organization boundary a non-bridged silsesquioxane system will evolve.

JournalRSC Advances
Volume4
Issue103
Pagination59664-59675
Date Published2014-10-31
DOI10.1039/C4RA11300D
Keywordsamide cross-linked, Biomimetic, Fractality, metastability, self-organization
RightsrestrictedAccess
Peer reviewedyes
Statuspublished

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