Structure and surface reactivity of transition-metal–oxo–organo clusters: contribution of liquid- and solid-state NMR to the characterization of the cluster Ti16O16(OEt)32

Abstract

Nano-building blocks, as metal–oxo–alkoxo clusters, defined as perfectly calibrated nanometric species, are good models for spectroscopic studies and good candidates for elaboration, by soft chemistry processes, of hybrid organic-inorganic materials. We focus our work on the cluster Ti 16 O 16 (OEt) 32 and its reactivity against propyl alcohol. A better understanding of the surface reactivity allows the elaboration optimisation of hybrid materials by a better control of the hybrid interface. The use of high-resolution liquid (COSY, HMQC) and solid-state (Cross Polarization, MAS) NMR spectroscopies will be described, in order to characterize properly the surface organic groups.