The use of mesostructured materials in optical applications promises versatile processing strategies for fibers, spheres, films, and lithographic patterns with designed mechanical stability, wettability, and high loading of photoactive species

Geoffrey A. Ozin, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues report the synthesis of photoluminescent nanocrystalline silicon periodic mesoporous organosilica (ncSi-PMO) through template-directed self-assembly. The hydride-terminated surface of the ncSi was first capped with triethoxysilylethylene (TESE) oligomers through hydrosilylation with TESE. The capped ncSi was then co-assembled with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) using Pluronic P123 under acidic conditions.

Comprehensive structural and property characterizations indicate that ncSi-PMO gainfully combines the optical properties of ncSi and the porous structure of PMO. This integration of purposeful components makes ncSi-PMO a promising multifunctional material for optoelectronic and biomedical applications.

^{Image: © ACS}

• Assembling Photoluminescent Silicon Nanocrystals into Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica,
  Min Guan, Wendong Wang, Eric J. Henderson, Ömer Dag, Christian Kübel, Venkata Sai Kiran Chakravadhanula, Julia Rinck, Igor L. Moudrakovski, Jordan Thomson, Jeffrey McDowell, Annie K. Powell, Haixia Zhang, Geoffrey A. Ozin,
  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012.
  DOI: 10.1021/ja209532e