Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched polymer consisting of silsesquioxane derivatives

Hyperbranched polysiloxanes were synthesized by polyhydrosilylation of silsesquioxane derivatives and vinyl derivatives in the presence of Karstedt's catalyst. The hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) with Mn=5.2x10(3)- 9.8x10(4) were soluble in common solvents and exhibited good thermal stability. HBPs based on double-decker-shaped silsesquioxane showed a large thermal-optical coefficient compared with the corresponding linear polymer. The refractive index values of the polymers obtained tended to decrease with the increasing structure size of the co-monomers. Polymer Journal (2010) 42, 799-803; doi:10.1038/pj.2010.79