Patent ID: 7915368

Claim:
A method for making an alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes having the formula and mixtures, thereof, wherein w, x and y represent mole fractions, y does not equal zero, either w or x but not both can be zero, and w+x+y=1.00, the method comprising the steps of: (a) combining as a reaction mixture: (i) water, (ii) an acid-stable solvent for the water, (iii) a solid strong cationic hydrolysis and condensation catalyst, and (iv) an R— trialkoxysilane, wherein R comprises a group bonded to the silicon atom and is independently selected from the group consisting of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are the same or different and selected from the group consisting of (i) H or an alkyl group having one to about 20 carbon atoms, (ii) cycloalkyl groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, (iii) alkylaryl groups having 7 to about 20 carbon atoms, and (iv) R 5 X, wherein X is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, SH, S a R 6 , NR 6 2 , OR 6 , CO 2 H, SCOR6, CO 2 R 6 , OH, olefins, amino groups and vinyl groups, wherein a=2 to about 8, R 5 is selected from the group consisting of alkylene groups having one to about 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, and R 4 and R 6 are selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups having one to about 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl groups having 3 to about 20 carbon atoms, and alkylaryl groups having 7 to about 20 carbon atoms; (b) allowing the reaction mixture to react for about 0.5 hours to about 200 hours to form the alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes; and (c) recovering the alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes from the reaction mixture, wherein the alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes consist essentially of a mixture of alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes having an open structure with a reactive alkoxysilyl group, and are essentially free of closed caged polyhedral organosilsesquioxanes, and wherein the mixture of alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes liberates about 0.05% to about 10% by weight alcohol when treated by substantially total acid hydrolysis.