Fluorescence and NMR Characterization and Biomolecule Entrapment Studies of Sol−Gel-Derived Organic−Inorganic Composite Materials Formed by Sonication of Precursors

Optically clear sol−gel-derived organic−inorganic hybrid materials were prepared by a sonication method suitable for entrapment of biological compounds. Sonication at pH 2.5 hydrolyzed mixtures of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and one of the organosilanes methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), propyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS), or dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS). Buffer solutions containing the fluorescent probes 7-azaindole or prodan, or the proteins …