Patent ID: 8242299

Claim:
A method for making a composite comprising: a first heating of a first mixture comprising: i) a metal alkoxide of the formula R x -M(OR 1 ) m-x, wherein M is Si, Al, Ti, Zr, or a combination thereof, R, if present, is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, monovalent hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, OR 1 is each independently an alcoholyzable hydrocarbyloxy group having from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, x is 0 to 3, and m is 5 to 2; and ii) a diol of the formula HO—R 2 —OH, wherein R 2 is a substituted or unsubstituted, divalent hydrocarbylene having from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, or an oligomeric or polymeric group comprising at least one chain incorporating a plurality of alkoxyl groups, to form a first intermediate sol-gel network resulting from alcoholysis of the metal alkoxide, and an alcohol by-product (HOR 1 ); and a second heating of the first intermediate sol-gel network and the alcohol by-product (HOR 1 ) in the presence of: iii) an unsaturated monomer or unsaturated oligomer having at least one of an epoxy group, a glycidyl ether group, or a combination thereof; iv) a cross-linker; and v) a free radical initiator.