Patent ID: 7541167

Claim:
A porous glass composite material comprising a gel that comprises water and a polymeric network comprising an alkoxosilane derivative, the network having a group of alterable charge, a hydrophobic group and a hydrophilic group, wherein the alkoxosilane derivative is a derivative of an alkoxosilane having the general formula (OR 1) 3 Si-spacer-Si(OR 2 ) 3 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, unsubstituted branched and unbranched C 1-20 alkyls, substituted branched and unbranched C 1-20 alkyls, unsubstituted branched and unbranched C 1-20 alkenyls, substituted branched and unbranched C 1-20 alkenyls, unsubstituted branched and unbranched C 1-20 alkynlys, substituted branched and unbranched C 1-20 alkynyls, substituted, unsubstituted, and multiple ring aryl groups, and combinations thereof, and where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of n-(CH 2 ) 2 CH 3 , n-(CH 2 ) 3 CH 3 ,—CH(CH 3 ) 2 , —CH 2 CH(CH 3 ) 2 , —CH(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 3 , —CH 2 CH(CH 3 ) 2 , —CH(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 3 , OPh, —CH 2 CH 2 OH, —CH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 , n-CH 2 (CH 2 ) 16 —CH 3 , n-O(CH 2 ) 3 CH 3 , OCH(CH 3 ) 2 , OCH(CH 3 ) 2 , OCH 2 CH(CH 3 ) 2 , OCH(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 3 , OCH 2 CH 2 OH and OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 .