%A Pereira,Rui F. P. %A Nunes,Sílvia C. %A Toquer,Guillaume %A Cardoso,Marita A. %A Valente,Artur J. M. %A Ferro,Marta C. %A Silva,Maria M. %A Carlos,Luís D. %A Ferreira,Rute A. S. %A de Zea Bermudez,Verónica %D 2018 %J Frontiers in Chemistry %C %F %G English %K bis[(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl]amine,sol-gel chemistry,solvent-assisted structuring,morphology,Luminescence %Q %R 10.3389/fchem.2017.00131 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2018-January-15 %9 Original Research %+ Rui F. P. Pereira,Chemistry Center, University of Minho,Portugal,rpereira@quimica.uminho.pt %+ Prof Verónica de Zea Bermudez,Chemistry Department and CQ-VR, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro,Portugal,vbermude@utad.pt %# %! Novel highly luminescent amine-functionalized bridged silsesquioxanes %* %< %T Novel Highly Luminescent Amine-Functionalized Bridged Silsesquioxanes %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2017.00131 %V 5 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 2296-2646 %X Amine-functionalized bridged silsesquioxanes (BSs) were synthesized from bis[(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl] amine via a solvent-mediated route. BS-1 and BS-2 were obtained at neutral pH with sub- and stoichiometric amounts of water, respectively, and high tetrahydrofuran content. BS-3 was prepared with hyperstoichiometric water concentration, high tetrahydrofuran content, and hydrochloric acid. BS-4 was synthesized with hyperstoichiometric water concentration, high ethanol content, and sodium hydroxide. BS-1 and BS-2 were produced as transparent films, whereas BS-3 and BS-4 formed white powders. Face-to-face stacking of flat or folded lamellae yielded quasi-hydrophobic platelets with emission quantum yields of 0.05 ± 0.01 (BS-1 and BS-2) or superhydrophilic onion-like nanoparticles with exciting emission quantum yields of 0.38 ± 0.03 (BS-3) and 0.33 ± 0.04 (BS-4), respectively. The latter two values are the largest ever reported for amine-functionalized siloxane-based hybrids lacking aromatic groups. Fast Grotthus proton hopping between = NH2+/ = NH groups (BS-3) and = N/ = NH groups (BS-4), promoted by H+ and OH ions, respectively, and aided by short amine-amine contacts provided by the onion-like morphology, account for this unique optical behavior.