Prospects for chemical control and engineering of organically modified ceramics

Hydrolytic polycondensation of silicon alkoxides and organically modified alkoxides shows promise as a route to new materials for medicine. Mathematical models of this polymerization accelerate the development of these materials and processes for their production. With a reliable model, one can rapidly explore a wide variety of options for controlling material properties. Here we describe a model for kinetics of sol-gel copolymerization of a simple pair of ethoxysilanes: (CH₃)₃Si(OC₂H₅) and (CH₃)₂Si(OC₂H₅)₂. We then describe how reactor configuration alone can be used to control of polymer structure by choosing how to mix the reactants. An example is shown of maximizing homogeneity at any reactor residence time of interest in the model copolymer system by using the time of addition of the faster-reacting monomer.