Hydrophobic, amorphous metal–organic network readily prepared by complexing the aluminum ion with a siloxane spaced dicarboxylic acid in aqueous medium

ABSTRACT A less common dicarboxylic acid with siloxane spacer, 1,3‐bis(carboxypropyl)tetramethyldisiloxane, whose structure is for the first time determined crystallographically, is used to coordinate aluminum through an environment‐friendly preparation process, resulting in a polymeric structure of amorphous metal–organic framework (aMOF) type. The high flexibility of the spacer induced by the siloxane bond gives the polymeric product a glass transition slightly below room temperature, while the long length of the former creates the premises for collapse of the network and consequently reduced porosity. At the same time, the high hydrophobicity of the tetramethyldisiloxane fragment and its low surface energy, which causes it to migrate to the air interface, gives the network low moisture sorption capacity guaranteeing the stability of its properties in a wet environment. The particulate complex, of the order of 1–200 nm, as generated by the synthesis, proves to be suitable as filler for silicone with outstanding reinforcement effect, without significantly affecting their transparency. The presence of the dimethylsiloxane units in the structure of both the matrix and the filler ensures good incorporation of the latter without the need for special compatibility treatments. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47144.