Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Arylene- and alkylene-bridged polysilsesquioxanes were prepared by sol-gelprocessing of bis(triethoxysilyl)-arylene monomers 1-4, and alkylenemonomers 5-9. The arylene polysilsesquioxanes were porous materials withsurface areas as high as 830 m2/g (BET). Treatment with aninductively coupled oxygen plasma resulted in the near quantitative removalof the arylene bridging groups and a coarsening of the pore structure. Solidstate 29Si NMR was used to confirm the conversion of thesesquioxane silicons (T) to silica (Q). The alkylene-bridgedpolysilsesquioxanes were non-porous. Oxygen plasma treatment afforded silicagels with mesoporosity. The porosity in the silica gels appears to ariseentirely from the oxidation of the alkylene spacers.