Organic/inorganic hybrid composites from cubic silsesquioxanes

para-Octaiodophenylsilsesquioxane, [p-IC6H4SiO(1.5)]8, a nearly perfect nano-building block

The cubic symmetry of octafunctional octaphenylsilsesquioxanes [ROPS, (RC6H4SiO(1.5))8] coupled with a 1 nm diameter offers exceptional potential to assemble materials in three dimensions with perfect control of periodicity and the potential to tailor global properties at nanometer length scales. OPS itself is very inert and insoluble and can only be functionalized via electrophilic reactions with difficulty and with poor substitutional selectivity. However, functionalized OPS products are robust and highly soluble, offering easy purification and processing. In contrast to previous studies, we report here that OPS reacts with ICl at sub-ambient temperatures to provide (following recrystallization) [p-IC6H4SiO(1.5)]8, or I8OPS, in good yields and with excellent selectivity: >99% mono-iodo substitution with >93% para substitution as determined by H2O2/F- cleavage of the Si-C bonds to produce iodophenols. I8OPS in turn can be functionalized using conventional catalytic coupling reactions to provide sets of >93% para-substituted, functionalized compounds (alkynes, alkenes, aryl amines, phosphonates, aryl amines, polyaromatics, etc.), suggesting the potential to develop diverse nano-building blocks for the assembly of a wide variety of materials, some with novel photonic, electronic, and structural properties.

Water-soluble anionic POSS-core dendrimer: synthesis and copper(II) complexes in aqueous solution

A carboxylic acid-terminated polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS)-core dendrimer (POSS-CO2H) was synthesized from octa(3-ammoniumpropyl)octasilsesquioxane octachloride (POSS-NH3+) via a t-butyl ester-terminated POSS-core dendrimer that was prepared from neutralized POSS-NH3+ and t-butyl acrylate. Complexing properties of the sodium salts of POSS-CO2H (POSS-CO2Na) with Cu2+ were studied in comparison with those of the G1.5 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer (G1.5-CO2Na) by spectroscopic approach and isothermal titration calorimetry. In the case of G1.5-CO2Na, Cu2+-N4 and Cu2+-N2O2 complexes are possible coordination modes, and only a Cu2+-N2O2 complex can be formed for POSS-CO2Na. In the case of POSS-CO2Na, upon increasing the concentration of Cu2+, the values of the binding constants decreased. However, the values of binding constants in the regions of the Cu2+-N2O2 coordination mode for G1.5-CO2Na increased with increasing concentration of Cu2+. This observation suggests that the uptake of Cu2+ is inhibited by increasing binding numbers of Cu2+ due to the rigid structure of the POSS-core dendrimer.

Synthesis and Characterization of a POSS-Maleimide Precursor for Hybrid Nanocomposites

Epoxy polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based hybrid nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization of a homogeneous blend of the diglycidylether of bisphenol-A and 4,4'diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) in the presence of octa(maleimidophenyl)silsesquioxane. The reaction of a maleimido-functionalized POSS cube with the epoxy resin was studied by Fourier transform infrared analysis and the formation of nanocomposites was confirmed by wide-angle X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Dynamic mechanical analysis studies indicated that the crosslinking structures of the nanocomposite networks were predominantly formed between the terminal maleimide double bonds and the amino groups of DDM through a Michael addition reaction to form an aspartimide. The values of the glass transition temperatures ( Tg) decreased with increasing POSS-maleimide content and this was likely to be due to the inclusion of POSS cages into the system and the consequent increase in free volume. The dynamic thermal stability of the cured polymers was increased by increasing the POSS content in the hybrid epoxy matrices as evidenced from thermogravimetric analysis data.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanocrosslinked by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane: Temperature-responsive behavior of hydrogels

Octa(propylglycidyl ether) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OpePOSS) was used as a nanocrosslinking agent to prepare the crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) networks with POSS content up to 50 wt%. The inter-component crosslinking was achieved via the reaction between NH moieties in amide group of PNIPAM and epoxide groups of OpePOSS. When the organic-inorganic nanocomposites were swollen in water the POSS-crosslinked PNIPAM exhibited the characteristics of hydrogels. With the moderate contents of POSS, the POSS-containing hybrid hydrogels displayed much faster response rates in swelling, deswelling and reswelling experiments than the PNIPAM hydrogels prepared via the free radical copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and N,N(')-methylenebisacrylamide (viz. the conventional crosslinker). The improved hydrogel properties have been interpreted on the basis of the formation of the nanosized hydrophobic microdomains around the POSS moieties (i.e., the nanocrosslinking sites).

Network structures of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane based nanocomposites: a Monte Carlo study

The network structures of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane based nanocomposites are studied by continuous-space Monte Carlo simulations. The nanoporous network contains intercubic pores and mesopores which can be clearly identified in this work. In terms of degree of cross linking and pore size distribution (PSD), effects of linker length, tether rigidity, and number of reactive tethers are examined. It is found that the extent of cross linking as well as the intercubic pore size of the network increases as linker length increases which are consistent with experimental findings. However, the mesopores appear to shift to a smaller radii regime for networks with longer linkers. Networks with rigid tethers contain lots of free linkers, thus, low cross linking density and narrow PSD are observed. On the other hand, reduction of the reactive tethers shows an insignificant effect on the degree of cross linking of the system. The fact that the intercubic pore size increases as the number of reactive tethers decreases causes the nanobuilding blocks to possess larger free volumes and distribute themselves more evenly throughout the system. As a result, it reduces the possibility of forming large mesopores.

Bionanocomposites from Renewable Resources: Epoxidized Linseed Oil−Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes Hybrid Materials

This study is concerned with the preparation and properties of a new class of bionanocomposites from renewable resources. Epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) and 3-glycidylpropylheptaisobutyl-T8-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (G-POSS) (2, 5, and 10 wt %) were cross-linked, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the POSS-reinforced oil-based polymer networks. No POSS aggregates were observed for the 2 wt % G-POSS nanocomposite by SEM. POSS-rich particles with diameters of several nanometers were observed in the nanocomposites with 5 and 10 wt % G-POSS. Enhanced glass transition temperatures and storage moduli of the networks in the glassy state and rubber plateau were observed to be higher than those of the POSS-free oil based polymer network, due to the reinforcement effect of POSS cages.