Bridged Silsesquioxane Films Modified with Gold Nanoparticles

M. L. GOMEZ; C. E. HOPPE; R. J. J. WILLIAMS

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Simposio; 15th International Symposium on Metastable, Amorphous and Nanostructured Materials, ISMANAM 2008; 2008

Bridged silsesquioxanes are a family of organic-inorganic hybrid polymers synthesized by the hydrolysis and polycondensation of monomers containing an organic bridging group covalently bonded to terminal trialkoxysilyl or trichlorosilyl groups.[1] Different kinds of organic structures with self assembly capabilities have been reported in literature to generate nanostructured bridged silsesquioxanes. Strong hydrogen bonds interactions produced a variety of self assembled structures.[2] Recent efforts toward controlling the physical and chemical properties of nanostructured materials through molecular level design have generated enormous interest in thin films comprised of organically encapsulated metal nanoparticles (Nps).[3] It has been shown that the optical and electronic properties of such films can be tuned by varying the size, shape and concentration of metal Nps.[4]In this work we prepared films of nanostructured silsesquioxanes by hydrolysis and polycondensation of a precursor formed by reaction between glycidoxypropyl (trimethoxysilane) and dodecylamine.