In polymer chemistry, an inorganic polymer is a polymer with a skeletal structure that does not include carbon atoms in the backbone. Polymers containing inorganic and organic components are sometimes called hybrid polymers, and most so-called inorganic polymers are hybrid polymers. One of the best known examples is polydimethylsiloxane, otherwise known commonly as silicone rubber. Inorganic polymers offer some properties not found in organic materials including low-temperature flexibility, electrical conductivity, and nonflammability. The term inorganic polymer refers generally to one-dimensional polymers, rather than to heavily crosslinked materials such as silicate minerals. Inorganic polymers with tunable or responsive properties are sometimes called smart inorganic polymers. A special class of inorganic polymers are geopolymers, which may be anthropogenic or naturally occurring.
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Crosslinked in the context of Silicone resin
Silicone resins are a type of silicone material which is formed by branched, cage-like oligosiloxanes with the general formula of RnSiXmOy, where R is a non-reactive substituent, usually methyl (Me = −CH3) or phenyl (Ph = −C6H5), and X is a functional group: hydrogen (−H), hydroxyl (−OH), chlorine (−Cl) or alkoxy (−O). These groups are further condensed in many applications, to give highly crosslinked, insoluble polysiloxane networks.
When R is methyl, the four possible functional siloxane monomeric units are described as follows: