Synthesis and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane)hybrid nanocomposites

A novel poly（methyl methacrylate-co-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane） hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by free radical polymerization and characterized by 1H NMR, 29Si NMR, and TGA technologies. Compared with PMMA homopolymer, the nanocomposite has better thermal stability.

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.

Fabrication of Layer-by-layer Films of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes

Layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly method was used to fabricate siliceous ultrathin films by using polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes as building blocks. Ammonium salt of octasilsesquioxane acid (OSi8) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) were alternately assembled onto CaF2 slide to form nanocomposite multilayers. Linear build-up of the LBL films was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy. IR spectrum suggests existence of OSi8 and PDDA in the LBL films. Atomic force microscopic surface topography of the LBL films indicates the OSi8 covers the entire surface of the topmost layer and shows a granular morphology.

Synthesis and Characterization of Ferrocenyl Substituted Styryl Octasilsesquioxane

4-（2-Ferrocenylethenyl）-phenyl-POSS Fc-CH=CH-C6H6-（C5H9）7Si8O12 （FEPS, Fc： ferrocene）, containing metal and C=C double bond, was firstly synthesized as a mixture of E/Z isomers by the Wittig reaction. The chemical structure of FEPS was characterized by FTIR, ^1H-, ^13C and ^29Si- NMR.

Polymer solar cells with an inverted device configuration using polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-[60]fullerene dyad as a novel electron acceptor

A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-[60]fullerene (POSS-C60) dyad was designed and used as a novel electron acceptor for bulk heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells (PSCs) with an inverted device configuration. The studies of time-resolved photoinduced absorption of the pristine thin film of poly[(4,4'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]silole)-2,6-diyl-alt-(4,7-bis (2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-5,5'-diyl] (SiPCPDTBT) and the composite thin film of SiPCPDTBT:POSS-C60 indicated efficient electron transfer from SiPCPDTBT to POSS-C60 with inhibited back-transfer. BHJ PSCs made by SiPCPDTBT mixed with POSS-C60 yielded the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 1.50%. Under the same operational conditions, PCEs observed from BHJ PSCs made by SiPCPDTBT mixed with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester were 0.92%. These results demonstrated that POSS-C60 is a potentially good electron acceptor for inverted BHJ PSCs.

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.

Preparation and characterization of SMA/S-POSS hybrid membranes for direct methanol fuel cell applications

A novel sulfonated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane(S-POSS) monomer was synthesized successfully in this article. S-POSS acted as a donor of sulfonic acid group and reacted with poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA). FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the modification through introduction of peaks characteristic of ester linkages and carboxylic groups. The SMA/S-POSS hybrid membranes were fabricated from different S-POSS contents. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the hybrid membranes were studied with changing S-POSS content from 5wt.% to 30wt.%. It was found that the proton conductivity and the methanol permeability were dependent on the S-POSS content. Both of proton conductivity and methanol permeability properties improve with increasing S-POSS content. The proton conductivities of the hybrid membranes are in the range of 10-3-10-2 S·cm-1, and the range of methanol permeabilities was between 10-8 and 10-7 cm2·s-1. The membranes show good thermal properties characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

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.

Increase in functional groups for POSS by introducing branched phenylglycidylether

In the selected experimental conditions, firstly, the branched products with functional groups, N-（2-hydroxylpropylphenylether） （3-aminopropyl） triethoxysilane （APES-PGE, containing one hydroxyl group） and N-[di（2-hydroxylpropylphenylether）]（3-aminopropyl） triethoxysilane （APES-PGE2, containing two hydroxyl groups）, were synthesized by reacting 1 mole of （3-aminopropyl）triethoxysilane （APES） with 2 mole of phenylglycidylether （PGE）. Then the hydrolytic condensation of APES-PGE and APES-PGE2 was performed by dissolving 1 g of the corresponding silane in 1.5 ml tetrahydrofuran （THF）, adding water and eventually a catalyst （molar ratios: [H2O]/Si=3, [NaOH]/Si=0.05）, and heating at 50 ℃ for 24 h, allowing continuous evaporation of volatiles. The final products with branches containing hydroxyl groups were polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes （POSS）. The products from two reactions were characterized by standard spectroscopic techniques, gel partition chromatography （GPC）, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and matrix-assisted ultraviolet laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UV-MALDI-TOF MS）. Additionally, a narrow mass distribution of multifunctionalized POSS was shown by UV-MALDI-TOF MS and assignments of the MS peaks.

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.

Nano-scratch test for POSS films based on vinyltrimethoxysilane and modified with titanium tetrabutoxide

Polyhedral oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS) derived from vinyltrimethoxysilane (VMS) and modified with titanium tetrabutoxide (TTBO) (PVT) were prepared by sol-gel process catalyzed by hydrochloric acid (molar ratio: [HCl]/Si=0.05), and heating at 45 ℃ during 3 days. The PVT films (f-PVT) with different TTBO content, 5, 20 and 25wt% TTBO, were prepared by adding the stoichiometric amount of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) to PVT solutions in ethanol, dip-coating over glass substrates, and curing using an appropriate thermal cycle and time. The hardness and elastic modulus of f-PVT were tested by continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) of nanoindentation, and the tribological behaviors were comparatively investigated with a nanoscratch test. The influence of the different TTBO contents on the mechanical properties of f-PVT was discussed. The scratch and friction coefficient profiles of f-PVT were illustrated. As the results of the test, f-PVT with 20% TTBO showed the better scratch resistance and tribological behavior.

Influence of POSS modifier on NLO properties of the hybrid materials

The nonlinear optical （NLO） active chromophore was prepared bv a bridging agent, glyeidyl ether （ AGE）, to connect disperse orange 3 （ DO3 ） and （ γ-Methaerylpropyl）-silsesquioxane （MP-SSO）. A freeradical polymerization was performed to fabricate the methacrylate/Silica hybrid NLO films. Different amounts （ 5-25 wt% ） of （γ-methacrylpropyl） -polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes （POSS） were added as the modifier to improve the degree of cross-linking, density and structure of the NLO matrix. As a result, the modified material properties including coating transmittance, glass transition temperature （ Tg ） , absoption spectra before and after poling, Marker stripes, etc. were presented. The hybrid film containing 15 wt% POSS exhibits the highest T, nonresonant second-order nonlinearity （d33 = 92 pro/V） and temporal stability among the others.

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.