| Abstract
| - The structure and thermal behavior of silver perfluorocarboxylates (AgCO2(CF2)nCF3, n = 10, 12, 14, and16) have been investigated by using various analytical tools. The X-ray diffraction patterns were composedof a series of peaks that could be indexed to (0k0) reflections of a layered structure. The adjacent layers werepresumed to overlap by as much as 94% of the terminal CF3 groups. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fouriertransform spectroscopy revealed that the binding state of the carboxylate group to silver was a bridging one.The thermal analyses indicated that a chain melting process commenced at ∼560 K without any interimpremelting event but the thermal decomposition reaction was followed immediately after the chain meltingprocess. More importantly, the temperature at which the structural collapse occurred was found to be ∼100K higher than that in silver hydroalkanecarboxylate such as silver stearate. The enhanced thermal stabilityseemed to be associated with the high rigidity of the fluorocarbon chains. Perfluorocarbons are thus expectedto be a promising organic moiety, endowing the organic/inorganic hybrid materials with high thermal stability.
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