Our strategy to prepare intrinsically tougher organosilicate glasses depends on precursor monomer structure and is based on the incorporation of carbon bridging units between silicon atoms present in the organosilicate network. Compared with common alkylsilsesquioxane-type organosilicates, the absence of dangling carbon substituent bonds coupled with the presence of an organic bridge between the network silicon atoms confers unique mechanical properties to these organic/inorganic hybrid materials.

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