Spherical, monodisperse, functional bridged polysilsesquioxane nanoparticles

A method for the synthesis of functional hybrid nanoparticles of uniform size is reported. 1,1'-bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]-4,4'-bipyridinium iodide and N,N'-bis[(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine bridged polysilsesquioxane spherical, monodisperse nanoparticles are prepared utilizing inverse water-in-oil polymerization methods where nanoparticle size can be influenced by adjusting the interfacial tension and monomer concentration. The former are electrochemically active and can be utilized in display devices. Both are polycationic and can be used as carriers for polyanions such as DNA and construction of layer-by-layer architectures.