The polysilsesquioxanes can be prepared as gels, films or fibers. The organic group, covalently attached to the trifunctional silicon groups through Si-C bonds, can be varied in length, rigidity, geometry of substitution, and functionality.Since the organic group remains an integral component of the material, this variability provides an opportunity to modulate bulk properties such as porosity, thermal stability, refractive index, optical clarity, chemical resistance, hydrophobicity, and dielectric constant. On a very fundamental level, the Shea group is interested in establishing how the molecular building block contributes to the physical properties of the final xerogel. Particular emphasis is placed on using the variable organic portion of the building block to control the bulk properties of the hybrid material. Materials of exceptional porosity (>1000m²/g) and functional capacity have been prepared. Bridged polysilsesquioxanes are being explored as chromatographic separation media, as "super adsorbents" for removal of heavy metals from waste water, as protective barriers against CW agents, organic second order nonlinear optical materials for applications in photonics and as a conducting matrix for immobilizing redox active enzymes.