Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS)‐based Hybrid Materials: Molecular Design, Solution Self‐Assembly and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Owing to the tremendous advantages and unique well‐defined nanoscale structure, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) have received considerable interest in the design of novel organic‐inorganic hybrid nanomaterials with all manner of prominent capabilities, which is recognized as a new generation of promising materials for advanced applications of material science, engineering science and biomedical fields. Benefitting from the recent progress in combination of controlled/living polymerization and emerging click chemistry, POSS‐based hybrid materials with ingenious design, versatile topological structure and sophisticated multifunctionality have been successfully fabricated and developed into abundant well‐defined hybrid nanostructures with desired physicochemical properties. Tailor‐made amphiphilic molecular design and nanosized hybrid architecture provide opportunities for the self‐assembly of POSS‐based hybrid materials with unique hierarchical morphologies in selective solvents. Through the in‐depth understanding of structure‐properties relationship, POSS‐based hybrid materials can achieve the modulation of precise control of self‐assembling process and multi‐purpose applications with improved material performances. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of POSS‐based hybrid materials in molecular design, self‐assembly behavior in solutions and potential biomedical applications with main concerns on drug delivery, gene therapy, bioimaging and tissue engineering field. Finally, future directions and remaining challenges for further advancement of POSS‐based hybrid materials are proposed and discussed.

Hard Coating Materials Based on Photo-Reactive Silsesquioxane for Flexible Application: Improvement of Flexible and Hardness Properties by High Molecular Weight

“…The measured XRD patterns were similar to the XRD patterns of the POSS mixture and LPSQ [ 58 ]. In addition, EPSQ d-spacing 2 showed a stronger intensity than the XRD data from other studies with similar structures [ 29 ]. This is because the synthesized polymer has a higher region regularity than the polymers reported in the literature.…”

“…POSS and LPSQ have a chemical structure of (RSiO 1.5 )n consisting of strong Si–O–Si bonding [ 23 , 27 ]. POSS is an oligomer with a chemical structure (RSiO 1.5 )n (N = 6, 8, 10, 12) [ 28 , 29 ]. The POSS structure shows high thermal stability owing to its three-dimensional cage structure [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…In particular, the double-stranded siloxane structure has high rigidity due to the Si–O internal rotation hindrance compared to that of a single chain [ 31 ]. POSS and LPSQ are used in various fields, such as separator, medicine, catalysis, sensor, and coating, due to their unique structure and various advantages [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 ].…”

Nanoarchitectonics: Complexes and Conjugates of Platinum Drugs with Silicon Containing Nanocarriers. An Overview

“…There has been a considerable attention drawn to the applications of POSS containing drug conjugates, since POSS is regarded as the next generation of materials in biomedical fields [19,[55][56][57]. Compared to functionalized silica as drug delivery system, silsesquioxanes present much more uniform size (~1.5 nm).…”

Use of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) in Drug Delivery, Photodynamic Therapy and Bioimaging

“…In the past decades, POSS have been used as building blocks, crosslinkers, and nanofillers to afford hybrid materials with improved stability, mechanical properties and chemical resistance [10]. POSS have great potential in various fields such as catalysis, sensing, photoelectronic, energy, and biomedicine [3,[11][12][13][14][15]. In this review, we will emphasize the most recent advances on the use of POSS in biomedicine, with particular focus on drug delivery, photodynamic therapy and bioimaging.…”