Novel Multifunctional (Meth)acrylate Alkoxysilanes as Precursors for Inorganic-Organic Copolymers

Multifunctional (meth)acrylate alkoxysilanes synthesized from commercially available acrylate compounds and mercapto-substituted alkoxysilanes or hydrosilanes are used as novel precursors for inorganic-organic copolymers. The alkoxysilyl groups are available for the formation of an inorganic Si-O-Si backbone by sol-gel processing. The (meth)acrylate groups allow the additional formation of organic polymer units by thermally or photochemically induced polymerisation reactions.