Abstract
We successfully prepared poly(phenylsilsesquioxane) particles, one of the organic-inorganic hybrid materials, by two-step acid-base catalyzed sol-gel process. However, the structure and formation mechanism of the particles were not fully understood. In this study, the structure and formation process of the particles prepared by two-step acid-base catalyzed sol-gel process have been investigated. Moreover, poly(phenylsilsesquioxane) particles have been prepared with different amounts of ethanol used as a solvent, and the average molecular weight of the particles has been decreased with an increase in the amount of ethanol.