Self-Assembling Polyhedral Silsesquioxanes - Structure and Properties

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) are perfect three-dimensional elemental building blocks that can be used for construction of diverse inorganic/organic hybrid materials. Well-defined inorganic frameworks, tailor-made physicochemical properties and symmetric distribution of organic groups make the hybrid organo-silica compounds ideal nano-fillers for polymer composites. Understanding the phenomena directing the molecular packing morphology of neat polyhedral silsesquioxanes is very important for an effective control of hierarchal structures and physicochemical properties of POSS-based hybrid materials, especially for the adjustment of polymer-nanoparticle interfacial interactions.