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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
By blending 3-aminopropyl-siloxane oligomers (pAPS) with chitosan (CHI) self-assembled hybrid films have been obtained. The influence of the incorporation of LiClO4 on the morphology of these transparent and flexible hybrid films has been studied. It was found that when this salt is added in amounts slightly over the limit of the maximal homogeneous incorporation a process of anisotropical crystallization begins. For a hybrid with composition CHI/pAPS/LiClO4 = 0.6/1/0.8M, Video-Enhanced Differential Interference Contrast microscopy (VEC-DIC) of the first three layers of the films showed that each layer have oriented patterns with angles of exactly 60 degrees between the planes. These results in combination with FTIR analysis of the products indicate that lithium ions behave as strong structure directing agent. This system can be considered as a biomimetic model for biomineralization processes. An interaction scheme comprising the components of this hybrid system is proposed.