ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDY OF ORGANIC-INORGANIC HYBRID MATERIALS

A series of monolithic poly[methyl methacrylate-co-3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate]-silica hybrid materials have been prepared via th e sol-gel reactions. The fracture surfaces of the materials were syste matically examined with atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a function of the silica content from similar to 23 to 100 vol %. For the transpare nt materials, the AFM image of the sample at a low silica content of 2 3 vol % is very smooth and essentially featureless while those at high er silica contents show relatively greater surface roughness and devel opment of domains of various shapes and sizes. In sharp contrast, the optically translucent and phase-separated samples exhibit significantl y higher surface roughness and larger domain size than all the transpa rent hybrid materials, suggesting that the transparent materials might have little or no organic-inorganic phase separation.