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This mini-review focuses on recent efforts to prepare single component element-block materials based on siloxane-based cage frameworks, a promising approach to control the sequence of organic and inorganic segments in organic-inorganic hybrids at the molecular level. Polyhedral octasilsesquioxanes, denoted ( RSiO1.5)8 or labeled T8 cages, and octadimethylsiloxy- Q8 cages, denoted ( RSiMe2OSiO1.5)8, are used here as siloxane-based cage frameworks. Thermoplastic optically transparent silsesquioxane materials derived from a single cage compound can be obtained with dumbbell- and star-shaped cage structures, allowing precise design of their structures for tuning properties. The siloxane-based cage core dendrimers are ideal candidates for single component element-block materials which possess three-dimensional, well-defined molecular level structures. Their rigid and cubic inorganic frameworks provide unique features for siloxane-based cage core dendrimers. These topics attract attention in both academia and industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general concept for the covalent linkage of coordination compounds to bipyridine-functionalized polyoxometalates is presented. The new route is used to link an iridium photosensitizer to an Anderson-type hydrogen-evolution catalyst. This covalent dyad catalyzes the visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and shows superior HER activity compared with the non-covalent reference. Hydrogen evolution is observed over periods >1 week. Spectroscopic, photophysical, and electrochemical analyses give initial insight into the stability, electronic structure, and reactivity of the dyad. The results demonstrate that the proposed linkage concept allows synergistic covalent interactions between functional coordination compounds and reactive molecular metal oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A molecular photochromic spiropyran-polyoxometalate-alkyl organic-inorganic hybrid has been synthesized and fully characterized. The reversible switching of the hydrophobic spiropyran fragment to the hydrophilic merocyanine one can be easily achieved under light irradiation at different wavelengths. This switch changes the amphiphilic feature of the hybrid, leading to a light-controlled self-assembly behavior in solution. It has been shown that the hybrid can reversibly self-assemble into vesicles in polar solvents and irreversibly into reverse vesicles in non-polar solvents. The sizes of the vesicles and the reverse vesicles are both tunable by the polarity of the solvent, with the hydrophobic interactions being the main driving force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]