Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
New hybrid materials made of polydimethylsiloxane species (chains and cyclic species) crosslinked at the molecular level by O=V(O-)3 units with a very high degree of homogeneity and dispersion even for a V/Si ratio of 10% have been synthesized and characterized mainly by 29Si, 51V MAS NMR, DSC and DMA. The structure of these hybrids is very different from those proposed for the other dimethylsiloxane-transition metal oxide systems. These dimethylsiloxanevanadates copolymers exhibit higher glass transition temperatures than usual PDMS and a very sharp variation of the loss factor tanδ. These hybrid materials exhibit at low temperature a strong phosphorescence usually associated to a Ligand to Metal Charge Transfrer process.