Ormosil is a shorthand phrase for organically modified silica or organically modified silicate. In general, ormosils are produced by adding silane to silica-derived gel during the sol-gel process. They are engineered materials that show great promise in a wide range of applications such as:
This technology has been demonstrated as a nonviral vector to successfully deliver DNA loads to specifically targeted cells in living animals. Confirmation of results demonstrated that new DNA was working and expressed genes in the animal.
Sono-Ormosil
Sono-Ormosils are organically modified silicates, which were prepared by using high-performance ultrasound during the sol-gel process. High-power ultrasound is an efficient tool for the synthesis of polymers. When high intense ultrasound is introduced in liquid, cavitation is produced. Due to the cavitational shear forces, molecular weight is lowered by particle size reduction and polydispersity is achieved. Multiphase systems are dispersed and emulsified very efficiently, so that very fine mixtures are prepared. This means that ultrasound accelerates the polymerization significantly over conventional stirring. The resulting polymer shows a higher molecular weight with a lower polydispersity. The product is a molecular-scaled composite material with improved mechanical properties. Sono-Ormosils are distinguished in comparison with conventional gels by a higher density as well as improved thermal stability. This may be a result from the higher degree of polymerization.