I have examined three different topological forms of a material modifier. The modifier is silicone and the three topological forms are cyclic, linear tethers and networked siloxane bonds in the form of a nanoparticulate. Often silicones, or siloxanes, are added to a material because of its unique properties that are related to its inorganic or inorganic-organic hybrid character. This dissertation addresses either the synthesis of silicones for material modification or the effect of the adding silicones to a variety of substrates and polymeric systems. Chapters 2 and 3 present research focused on the first topological form, cyclic PDMS. The synthesis of cyclic polymers is very important to the synthesis and subsequent characterization of cyclic containing multi-component materials. Cyclic PDMS is formed via ring-chain depolymerization and bimolecular coupling and the unique issues associated with the formation, purification and analysis of cyclic polymer topologies. The goal of the work described in these chapters was to find a straightforward high-yield route to form large cycles of PDMS in a relatively high purity. Chapter 4 focuses on the modification of the next topological form, linear polymers as tethers for surface modification and presents a novel concept for surface-modifying compounds; the incorporation of an ionic-reactive functionality into PDMS is presented. The idea being its ionic character will increase affinity for the surface, surface coverage and levelness, while the subsequent reactive fixation will permanently modify the surface to improve retention and fastness. The use of such chemistry has not been applied for surface modification protocols. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 discuss the characterization of systems with the third topological form incorporated. They include differences in the viscoelastic behavior of PVAc/silica nanocomposites and the neat PVAc matrix, relating those differences to polymer dynamics and structure as determined by several solid-state NMR experiments. The latter two chapters pertain to PVAc/silica nanocomposites with PDMS surface treatments. Specifically, evaluating how polymer dynamics and structure changes particularly at the interfaceinterphase with various PDMS surface treatments having different topologies at the surface. Advisors/Committee Members: Dr. Haskell W. Beckham (Committee Chair), Dr. Anselm Griffin (Committee Member), Dr. Johannes Leisen (Committee Member), Dr. Sankar Nair (Committee Member), Dr. Uwe Bunz (Committee Member).

In the first part of this thesis, the synthesis, characterization and investigation of ortho-phenyleneethynylenes containing heterocycles, are presented. These compounds display changes in absorption and emission spectra varying with their functionalization and size. These compounds also have the ability to coordinate with metals. The synthesis of coordination compounds and their crystallographic data are reported. The synthesis and characterization of tetraethynyl thiophene compounds containing pyridines are also presented. These compounds exhibit differences in absorption and emission spectra upon exposure to various metal salts. The final topic to be discussed is the synthesis and characterization of diphenyl amine polymers. These polymers could in principle be used in NLO applications or light emitting devices. Advisors/Committee Members: Dr. Uwe Bunz (Committee Chair), Dr. Anselm Griffin (Committee Member), Dr. David Collard (Committee Member), Dr. Joseph Perry (Committee Member), Dr. Laren Tolbert (Committee Member).