Element-Block Polymers Based on Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS)

Abstract

The combination of organic-inorganic polymer hybrids with the recent development of nano-sized inorganic blocks has enabled the realization of element-block polymers. These kind of materials are regarded as single component hybrid materials, an extension of the concept of “organic-inorganic hybrid polymers”. Functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-core dendrimers and dumbbell- and starshaped POSS derivatives are described herein as examples of element-block polymers.