Silicon-Based Polymers and Materials

Dear Colleagues,

A pure silicon is a basic electronic material for a production of computer chips. Silicones (polysiloxanes), containing silicon and oxygen atoms in their main chains and organic substituents bound to silicon, are a large and most important group of various inorganic-organic (hybrid) compounds and materials. Silicones play an important role among polymers with special properties, because they possess many unusual features. Silicones exhibit excellent chemical, physical, and electrical properties. A very important group of organosilicon polymers are poly(dimethylsiloxanes) (PDMS). Silicones are mainly applied as oils, rubbers, and resins (W. Noll, 1968; M.A. Brook, 2000; P. Rościszewski & M. Zielecka, 2002). Even an addition of  a very small amount of silicones causes a crucial improvement of properties of modified materials. Most importantly: silicones increase hydrophobicity and improve water resistance and thermal stability of many materials. Similar positive effects on properties of polymers and other materials can be reached by the addition of reactive silanes, siloxanes, silsesquioxanes, and silicates, which are very often used in practice for the modification of polymeric and inorganic materials. An important practical meaning has also other organosilicon polymers (especially, polysilanes, polycarbosilanes, and polysilazanes), and many functional silanes of different chemical structures containing reactive groups, mostly bound to silicon atom, but also quite often attached to carbon atom.

A continuously growing interest in applications of reactive silanes, all kinds of silicones, chemically modified nanosilica, different composites, silicon photovoltaic cells, and silicon nanowires has been still observed in many different fields of science, the chemical technology, and especially in materials science.

Dr. Jerzy J. Chruściel
Guest Editor

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