Publications by authors named "R Willem"

Novel organic-inorganic hybrids of various sizes were generated by reaction of 1,8-octanediphosphonic acid (ODP) and (NH4)6Mo7O24 in aqueous solution. The formation of rodlike hybrids with variable numbers of covalently bound ODP and polyoxomolybdate (POM) units can be tuned as a function of increasing (NH4)6Mo7O24 concentration at fixed ODP concentration. The chemical structure of the ODP/POM hybrids was characterized by (1)H, (31)P, and (95)Mo NMR spectroscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A new synthetic scheme towards silica-supported organotrichlorotin derivatives has been developed. It involves the synthesis of (11-triethoxysilyl)undecyltricyclohexyltin, followed by sol-gel processing and, subsequently in the formation of the resulting hybrid silica, by electrophilic substitution of the tricyclohexyltin function by the target grafted trichlorotin using tin tetrachloride. HR-MAS (119)Sn and CP-MAS (29)Si NMR combined with N2-sorption and TEM measurements evidenced the formation of a mesoporous organic-inorganic hybrid silica including a functionally pure supported-organotrichlorotin species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The interest in self-assembling monolayer deposition on various oxide substrate surfaces is steeply increasing in the last decades. Although many studies are being performed, literature does not come with a general insight in the adsorption of these layers on oxide surfaces. Also for the deposition of phosphonic acids on aluminum oxides, there is no global consensus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1)H HRMAS NMR spectroscopy is applied to gain insight into the chemical and morphological structure of double-network (DN) hydrogels, prepared from poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) and poly(acrylamide) (PAAm). The method enables one to obtain detailed information at the molecular level about the formation of covalent bonds between the two polymer networks through non-reacted double bonds of the cross-linker N,N'-methylene bis(acrylamide) (MBAA). Evidence to the existence of strong hydrogen-bond interactions based on the N-H group of the PAMPS as a hydrogen-bond donor and the C=O group of the PAAm as a hydrogen-bond acceptor is also provided.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Using a combination of multi-frequency EPR and NMR spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations at the level of Density Functional Theory (DFT), the organization of self-doped PPV oligomers in their solid state is investigated. The analysis of the different spectra shows that the electrochemical procedure used to self-dope these materials produces positive radicals (polarons) in an almost quantitative way, but still magnetically isolated polarons are observed. The difference between chemical and electrochemical oxidation of the oligomers is studied in detail.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF