Polysilsesquioxanes Containing Superparamagnetic Nanoclusters of Cobalt or Nickel

A method was developed for the synthesis of ion-coordinated polysilsesquioxanes (OSS-M) by reaction of amphiphilic carboxyl-containing oligosilsesquioxanes (OSS-COOH) with Co and Ni acetates. The OSS-M contain two types of crystalline phases, one of which is formed as a result of interaction of the alkyl chains while the other results from the formation of hydrogen bonds and coordination bonds. The size of the clusters formed by the metal ions, estimated from measurements of their magnetic moments, amounts to 2-3 nm. The magnetic nanoclusters formed by the Co ions in thin polymer films are anisotropic with respect to the plane of the substrate while the Ni ions are isotropic.