Bridged silsesquioxanes with organic domains self-assembled as functionalized molecular channels.

HERNÁN E. ROMEO; MARÍA A. FANOVICH; ROBERTO J. J. WILLIAMS; LIBOR MATEJKA; JOSEF PLESTIL; JIRÍ BRUS

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

Wiley-VCH

Año: 2007 vol. 208 p. 1202 - 1209

1022-1352

A bridged silsesquioxane was obtained from a precursor synthesized by the reaction of glycidoxypropyl(trimethoxysilane) (2 moles) with cyclohexylamine (1 mol). The polycondensation in the presence of formic acid produced a hybrid material exhibiting a short-range order based on elongated organic channels accommodating the pendant cyclohexyl fragments, bounded by inorganic domains. The presence of functional groups in the organic channels (tertiary amine, ether, hydroxyl), can be used to retain small organic molecules capable of forming hydrogen bonds. Aspirin was used as a probe to illustrate this possibility.