Abstract
Aerogels are a class of materials that have gained increasing attention over the past several decades due to their exceptional physical and chemical properties. These materials are highly porous, with a low density and high surface area, allowing for applications such as insulation, catalysis, and energy storage. However, traditional aerogels, such as pure silica aerogels, suffer from brittleness and fragility, which limit their usefulness in many applications. Herein, we have addressed this problem by using organosilicon compounds, namely polymethylsilsesquioxane derivatives, for the synthesis of aerogel-like materials. Specifically, we have developed a novel approach involving surfactant-free synthesis of microcapsules from partially PEGylated hyperbranched polymethylethoxysiloxane. Due to the highly diphilic nature of these compounds, they readily concentrate at the oil/water interface in aqueous emulsions encapsulating oil droplets. During the subsequent condensation, the organosilicon precursor is consumed for hexane encapsulation (yielding hollow microcapsules) followed by the formation of a continuous condensed phase. Concurrently, methyl groups ensure the hydrophobicity of the resulting materials, which eliminates the need of using additional reagents for their hydrophobization.