title: Self-assembly of bridged silsesquioxanes: modulating structural evolution via cooperative covalent and noncovalent interactions.
abstract: The self-assembly of a bis-urea phenylene-bridged silsesquioxane precursor during sol-gel synthesis has been investigated by in situ infrared spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and light scattering. In particular, the evolution of the system as a function of processing time was correlated with covalent interactions associated with increasing polycondensation and noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding. A comprehensive mechanism based on the hydrolysis of the phenylene-bridged organosilane precursor prior to the crystallization of the corresponding bridged silsesquioxane via H-bonding and subsequent irreversible polycondensation is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (UMR CNRS 5521), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Gaelle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Creff
authors.forename: Benoît P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Pichon
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanc
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maurin
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sauvajol
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carcel
authors.forename: Joël J E
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: Michel Wong Chi
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Man
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bantignies
mesh_terms: D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D006868:Hydrolysis; D015394:Molecular Structure; D017646:Organosilicon Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D017646:Organosilicon Compounds