POSS containing organometallic polymers: synthesis, characterization and solid-state pyrolysis behavior
Abstract
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 SiOx, which covered on the surface of cobalt particles after pyrolysis. Thus, the obtained nanospheres had a unique Co@C–SiOx 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.