Synthesis and characterization of gelatin-siloxane hybrids derived through sol-gel procedure

A new type of inorganic-organic hybrid materials incorporating gelatin and 3-(glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GPSM) was prepared through sol-gel processing. A solid-state ²⁹Si NMR analysis indicated that all the methoxy silane groups of GPSM were polymerized to yield-Si-O-Si- bridging bonds. An amino acid analysis confirmed grafting reactions of GPSM against gelatin chains. The increasing GPSM/gelatin ratio stimulated gel formation, phase separation, and the density of GPSM-crosslinking of the gelatin chains as well as it changed the micro- and macro- structures and the viscoelastic properties of the final products.