Polysilsesquioxane Foams from Polyhydridosiloxane Disproportionation

Polysilsesquioxane foams were prepared in a single step from polyhydridosiloxanes by base catalyzed disproportionation. This provides a single step synthesis of polysilsesquioxane foams and gels-including many that can not be directly sol-gel processed as gels from organotrialkoxysilanes. We discovered that the reaction of polyhydridosiloxanes with base rapid exothermic. Foams formed with the evolution of the silane, RSiH3, and from solvent generated from the heat of the reaction. We also discovered that the reaction was catalyzed by base, opening up the possibility for photopatterning of foams using a photobase generator.

Rahimian, Kamyar; Lang, David P.; Loy, Douglas A. Polylsilsesquioxanes through base-catalyzed redistribution of oligohydridosiloxanes. Polym. Prepr. (Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Polym. Chem.) (2000), 41(2), 1277-1278.

Contact: Doug Loy