The cubic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes based hybrid materials have a wide variety of applications, including drug administration, gene therapy, biological imaging, and bone regeneration

Abstract

The cubic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), which has a well-defined compact frame, high symmetry, and various modified organic substitutes, has received much interest as one of the most critical building blocks for hybrid nanomaterials and self-assembly driven amphiphilics. This work assessed current molecular design advances, solution self-assembly capabilities, and anticipated biological applications of POSS-based hybrid materials. By adopting controlled/living polymerization techniques and considerable advancements in efficient chemical coupling techniques, preparation techniques for topological POSS-based hybrid materials have become a rapidly increasing research field with future advances. The resultant POSS hybrids with various functional groups help to create complicated, unique self-assembled morphologies in solutions, induced by discrete intermolecular interactions. POSS-based hybrid materials have a wide variety of applications, including drug administration, gene therapy, biological imaging, and bone regeneration, due to their particular benefits (such as high biocompatibility, low cytototoxicity, and good degradability) and simplicity of self-assembly behaviour.

Despite several attempts to generate a range of functional POSS-based hybrid derivatives with increased performance, various challenges still need to be overcome before POSS-based materials may be further investigated. For example, commercialized applications and multi-functional POSS derivatives fabrication have yet to be established. Moreover, the influence of regional isomerism or replacement isomerism on POSS-based hybrid materials in practical applications (such as clinical medicine, solid state polyelectrolytes, and guided organization in coatings) should be further studied. Last but not least, given the success of building a synergistic and complementary POSS-based hybrid system, POSS-related derivatives development and deployment will become a cutting-edge trend with a bright future.