POSS containing organometallic polymers: synthesis, characterization and solid-state pyrolysis behavior

For the first time, POSS moieties were introduced into an organometallic polymer to aid the formation of stable Co nanoparticles through the solid-state pyrolysis process. For comparison, its analogue without POSS groups ( P1-Co ) was also prepared. The results demonstrated that the introduction of POSS groups into the polymer ( P2-Co ) could effectively hinder cobalt nanoparticles from sintering into larger particles, even at high pyrolysis temperatures. Particularly, the silicon-oxygen cage of the POSS groups could be converted into SiO x , which covered on the surface of cobalt particles after pyrolysis. Thus, the obtained nanospheres had a unique Co@C-SiO x architecture with a much smaller and uniform size (∼8 nm), while the size of Co nanoparticles derived from P1-Co was in the range of 30 to 80 nm. For the first time, POSS moieties were introduced into an organometallic polymer to aid the formation of stable Co nanoparticles with a unique Co@C-SiO x architecture and uniform size (∼8 nm), through solid-state pyrolysis.