Nano-engineering and micromolecular science of polysilsesquioxane materials and their emerging applications

Polysilsesquioxanes (RSiO_1.5)_n are organic-inorganic hybrid materials that have an array of properties and synergistic features and are considered to be robust materials in the family of siliceous compounds. Their careful tailoring at the nano and micro scale has been investigated worldwide, as their architecture dictates the final properties. Non-porous nano and micro organosilica hybrid particles that have been designed using careful optimization of the effective parameters, for example the amount of monomer, reaction time, concentration of the catalyst, temperature, and stirring speed, are detailed in this article. Different sized particles comprising bridged, ladder-like, cage shape and other geometries modified by organically functionalized reagents are discussed. This review presents a summary of the recently reported nano and micro-sized polysilsesquioxanes with different functional materials and their geometries, describing their preparation methods and further applications in science and technology, especially those reported in the last half decade.