Synthesis and Luminescent Property of Polycarbazole/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Nanocomposites

Polyvinylcarbazole（PVK） composites containing organic-inorganic hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silse-squioxane（POSS） PVK-POSS were prepared by free radical polymerization. POSS monomers reacted with vinylcarbazole and were completely dispersed at molecular level in PVK matrix and PVK-POSS nanocomposites display higher glass transition temperature（Tg） in comparison with neat PVK. Optical properties of PVK/POSS nanocomposites were investigated by UV-spectrum and PL-spectrum and the results show that the PVK-POSS nanoparticles have a good interface effect and improve color purity effectively. The maximum absorption wavelength bathochromically shifts gradually with the increasing of the content of POSS. The luminescent intensity becomes higher and higher with the increase of POSS content, and reaches its maximum luminescent intensity when the POSS content is 3% （mass fraction）, while some POSS-rich nanoparticles are present in matrix when contents of POSS are beyond 5%.

Study of Flame Retardation of Polycarbonate Modified by Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane and Caged Bicyclic Phosphate

The flame-retarded polycarbonate（PC） has been made with octaphenyl polyhedral silsesquioxane（OPS） and/or caged bicyclic phosphate（Trimer）.Thermal gravimetric analysis（TGA）,Fourier-transform infrared（FTIR）,TGA-FTIR,limiting oxygen index（LOI）,and mechanical tests have been employed to characterize the modified PC.The additives of OPS and Trimer in PC have been proved to be effective flame-retardants because of the synergistic interaction between the elements of P and Si.The role of OPS and Trimer in PC degradation are different：OPS participates in the charring of PC,while Trimer makes PC degrade in advance.In addition,OPS and Trimer induced obvious differences in the mechanical properties of PC.

Ultrasmall Nanoparticle ROS Scavengers Based on Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes

Although tremendous efforts have been devoted to the structural and functional tailoring of natural polyphenol-functionalized nan oparticles,preparing ultrasmall sized(<6 nm)particles with precisely-defined structures has remained a grand challenge.In this work,we reported the preparation of ultra-small and precisely structured polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes(POSS)-based polyphenol nanopartides(T8^-,T10^-,and T12^-GAPOSS)by accurately functionalizing the POSS surface with plant polyphenol gallic acid units via thiol-Michael"click"reactions.Those polyphenol nanoparticles exhibited strong free radical scavenging capacity,good biocompatibility and ability to resist cell oxidative damage,which dem on strated great potentials in inhibiting oxidative stress in duced pathologies.

Synthesis of peptide dendrimers with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane cores via click chemistry

Inorganic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane （POSS） was used as the core for the synthesis of poly（t- lysine） peptide dendrimer via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne click chemistry. The inorganic/organic composite dendrimer was characterized by MS, 1H NMR, FTIR, GPC and DLS.

Bridged polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane(POSS):A potential member of silsesquioxanes

Two novel and well-defined polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes（POSS） with two same Si_8O_（12） cores and a reactive NH group, namely bridged-POSS（2a and 2b）,have been prepared by the traditional ＇corner-capping＇ reaction.X-ray diffraction demonstrates that those two POSS have the similar T_8 structure.From the thermo-gravimetric analysis,bridged-POSS shows the belter thermal degradation stability than the contrastive POSS.

PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF MMA/1-PROPYLMETHACRYLATE-POSS COPOLYMER WITH ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

The methyl methacrylate(MMA)/1-propylmethacrylate-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane(PM-POSS) copolymers were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization with CuBr as catalyst.The unreacted PM-POSS monomer could be removed completely by washing the copolymerization product with n-hexane.The copolymers were characterized with ~1H-NMR,X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry,thermogravimetric analysis and gel permeation chromatography.With increasing PM-POSS feed ratio,the total conversi...

Positive Luminescent Sensor for Aerobic Conditions Based on Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Networks

There are numerous numbers of hypoxia-selective luminescent probes based on oxygen quenching of phosphorescence.We show a unique design for luminescent probes to detect hyperoxia utilizing hybrid networks consisting of aggregation-induced emission(AIE)-active dyes and disulfide linkers.At the initial state,emission from the AIE-active dyes is inducible by suppressing energy-consumable intramolecular motions in the hybrid matrices,while the decrease in intensity was detected by releasing molecular motions corresponded to bond scission at the disulfide linkers.Particularly,it was shown that this process selectively proceeds in hypoxia.As a result,positive luminescent signals were obtained in hyperoxia.

Effect of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane and Sorbitol on Properties of Isotactic Polypropylene

Isotactic polypropylene（iPP） was modified by the introduction of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes（POSS） and 1,3：2,4-bis（3,4-dimethylbenzylidene）sorbitol（DMDBS）. Chemical combination of （3-mercapto）- propyl-heptaisobutyl POSS with DMDBS（POSS-DMDBS）, and physical mixing of DMDBS with octaisobutyl POSS （iso-POSS/DMDBS） or trisilanolisobutyl POSS（tri-POSS/DMDBS） were applied respectively to modifying iPP, and the effects of POSS and DMDBS on crystallization, rheological and mechanical properties of iPP were systematically investigated. The results indicate that iso-POSS/DMDBS and tri-POSS/DMDBS were more effective than POSS-DMDBS on the improvement of the crystallization behavior of iPP due to the higher crystallization temperature, while the crystal!inity of iPP containing POSS-DMDBS was enhanced, approximately approached to that of iPP containing tri-POSS/DMDBS. The tensile strength of iPP with POSS-DMDBS was significantly increased from 34 MPa to 40 MPa, as high as that of iPP with iso-POSS/DMDBS. The different effects caused by the specific interaction between POSS and DMDBS could possibly be applied in the modification of iPP.

Effectiveness of an ocular adhesive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane hybrid thermo-responsive FK506 hydrogel in a murine model of dry eye

Dry eye is a common ocular disease that results in discomfort and impaired vision,impacting an individual’s quality of life.A great number of drugs administered in eye drops to treat dry eye are poorly soluble in water and are rapidly eliminated from the ocular surface,which limits their therapeutic effects.Therefore,it is imperative to design a novel drug delivery system that not only improves the water solubility of the drug but also prolongs its retention time on the ocular surface.Herein,we develop a copolymer from mono-functional POSS,PEG,and PPG(MPOSS-PEG-PPG,MPEP)that exhibits temperature-sensitive sol-gel transition behavior.This thermo-responsive hydrogel improves the water solubility of FK506 and simultaneously provides a mucoadhesive,long-acting ocular delivery system.In addition,the FK506-loaded POSS hydrogel possesses good biocompatibility and significantly improves adhesion to the ocular surface.In comparison with other FK506 formulations and the PEG-PPG-FK506(F127-FK506)hydrogel,this novel MPOSS-PEG-PPG-FK506(MPEP-FK506)hydrogel is a more effective treatment of dry eye in the murine dry eye model.Therefore,delivery of FK506 in this POSS hydrogel has the potential to prolong drug retention time on the ocular surface,which will improve its therapeutic efficacy in the management of dry eye.

Facile generation of highly durable thiol-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane based superhydrophobic melamine foam

In this study,a durable superhydrophobic/superoleophilic melamine foam was fabricated by a facile and rapid one-step thiol-ene click chemistry and Michael addition reaction,which demonstrated excellent robustness in oil/water separation.First,1H,1H,2H-perfluoro-1-hexene reacted with thiol-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane via the thiol-ene click chemistry to obtain a fluorinated thiol-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane solution.Subsequently,the melamine foam was immersed to the solution system to form nanoaggregates on the melamine foam surface by the Michael addition reaction in the presence of ultraviolet light.The micro/nano rough structure and low surface energy of the nanoaggregates layer endowed the pristine melamine foam with superhydrophobicity;the water contact angle was greater than 150°.More importantly,the as-prepared melamine foam could withstand harsh conditions,such as a corrosive solution environment,strong ultraviolet light,mechanical compression,high and low temperature exposure,and ultrasonic washing.Driven by gravity,the as-prepared melamine foam could efficiently separate the oil/water mixtures and maintain 98%separation efficiency at high and low temperatures.In addition,it maintained the desirable absorption capability in different oil/organic solvents even after 15 absorption cycles.Accordingly,this facile,low-cost,and robust onestep method provides important support for the superhydrophobic oil/water separation field.

Highly Stretchable and Self-healing Hydrogels Based on Poly(acrylic acid) and Functional POSS

Herein, we present a novel way for the production of self-healing hydrogels with stretch beyond 4200% than their initial length and relatively high tensile strength （0.1-0.25 MPa）. Furthermore, the hydrogel was insensitive to notch. Even for the samples containing V-notches, a stretch of 2300% was demonstrated. The hydrogels were developed by in situ crosslinking of the self-assembled colloidal poly（acrylic acid） （PAA）/functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane （POSS） micelles. This was achieved by the addition of functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with tertiary amines and hydroxyls （POSS-AH） into the PAA reaction solution. The POSS-AH led to micellar growth, then the dual- crosslinked network was constructed. One type of crosslink was formed by hydrogen-bonding and ionic interactions between PAA chains and POSS-AH, the other type of crosslink was formed by covalent bonds between PAA and bis（N,N＇-methylene- bis-acrylamide）.

ANIONIC SYNTHESIS OF A “CLICKABLE” MIDDLE-CHAIN AZIDE-FUNCTIONALIZED POLYSTYRENE AND ITS APPLICATION IN SHAPE AMPHIPHILES

＂Click chemistry＂ is, by definition, a general functionalization methodology （GFM） and its marriage with living anionic polymerization is particularly powerful in precise macromolecular synthesis. This paper reports the synthesis of a ＂clickable＂ middle-chain azide-functionalized polystyrene （mPS-N3） by anionic polymerization and its application in the preparation of novel shape amphiphiles based on polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane （POSS）. The mPS-N3 was synthesized by coupling living poly（styryl）lithium chains （PSLi） with 3-chloropropylmethyldichlorosilane and subsequent nucleophilic substitution of the chloro group in the presence of sodium azide. Excess PSLi was end-capped with ethylene oxide to facilitate its removal by flash chromatography. The raPS-N3 was then derived into a giant lipid-like shape amphiphile in two steps following a sequential ＂click＂ strategy. The copper（I）-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition between mPS-N3 and alkyne-functionalized vinyl-substituted POSS derivative （VPOSS-alkyne） ensured quantitative ligation to give polystyrene with VPOSS tethered at the middle of the chain （mPS-VPOSS）. The thiol-ene reaction with 1-thioglycerol transforms the vinyl groups on the POSS periphery to hydroxyls, resulting in an amphiphilic shape amphiphile, mPS-DPOSS. This synthetic approach is highly efficient and modular. It demonstrates the ＂click＂ philosophy of facile complex molecule construction from a library of simple building blocks and also suggests that mPS-N3 can be used as a versatile ＂clickable＂ motif in polymer science for the precise synthesis of complex macromolecules.

Group IV M-POSS （M--Zr, Hf） Coordination Polymers

The synthesis and characterization of Zr-POSS and Hf-POSS coordination polymers were reported. The IR data and the solid-state 29Si MAS NMR indicated the existence of Si--O--M linkage. The polarized optical microscopy images and the XRD data suggested their crystalline nature.

Synthesis of Liquid-like Trisilanol Isobutyl-POSS NOHM and Its Application in Capturing CO2

The trisilanol isobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane（POSS） was fabricated into liquid-like nano- particle organic hybrid materials（NOHMs） with ）,-（2,3-epoxypropoxy）propytrimethoxysilane as corona and polyethe- ramine M2070 as canopy, and the product was called liquid-like POSS NOHM. The liquid-like POSS NOHM has a low viscosity at room temperature without any solvent and the mass fraction of trisilanol isobutyl POSS was 23.38%. The liquid-like POSS NOHM shows great CO2 capturing property with a capacity of 2.108 mmol/g（PCO2=6 MPa）. The physical adsorption increased obviously with the pressure going up and it may make a difference between liquid-like POSS NOHMs and traditional monoethamolamine（MEA） based CO2 absorbent. The recycle property was also studied. The NOHM behaved as fresh product even after 10 cycles.

Ionic Liquid 1-Vinyl-3-dodecylimidazole Bromide Embedded Hybrid Monolithic Column and Its Versatile Post-modification with Amino Acids

The amino acids post-modified ionic liquids-based hybrid monolithic columns were successfully developed.For the first step,using 1-vinyl-3-dodecylimidazole bromide(VDI·Br)and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacryl substituted(POSS-MA)as monomer and crosslinking agent,the monolithic POSS-VDI matrix material was polymerized in 100μm capillary.The prepared POSS-VDI column is of ion-exchange/reverse-phase mixed-mode retention characteristics.The column e fficiency reached 137,000 N/m for thioureas.The POSS-VDI column has also been successfully applied to recognize and analyze the eff ective components of Traditional Chinese Medicines Fangji and the Root of Kudzu Vine.Furthermore,based on its good chromatographic performances,in the second step,amino acids L-Proline(L-Pro),Glycine(Gly)or DLPhenylalanine(DL-Phe)were further exploited as the anion exchangers to post-modify the POSS-VDI column.The new POSS-VDI-Pro,POSS-VDI-Gly and POSS-VDI-Phe columns exhibited diff erent separation selectivity for the complex egg white protein sample.The present work provides a good route to fabricate versatile amino acids and ionic liquids modified monolithic columns with good separation selectivity.