Claire Hartmann-Thompson

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes in Electronics and Energy Applications

This chapter is of broad scope and and covers the use of hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POS) materials to enhance performance in various electronics, optical and energy-related applications. It reviews the liquid crystal phase behavior of Si8O12 compounds and their use in LC devices, their use as electroluminescent (EL) materials in light-emitting devices (with a particular focus upon the problematic area of blue emission), their use as lithographic resists in the fabrication of electronic and optical devices, their use in diverse sensor systems, and their use in fuel cell membranes, battery electrolytes and lubricants. Si8O12 materials have also been successfully employed as coatings and adhesives in space photovoltaic solar cells, and this topic is reviewed in Chapter 8, along with various other space material-related applications.