Polytriazole resins toughened by an azide-terminated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OADTP)

An azido-terminated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) compound, octakis(azidopropyl-3-oxycarbonyl-1-decyl-10-thiopropyl-3-)POSS (OADTP), is synthesized and characterized. POSS-polytriazole (PTA) resins are prepared from an azide, an alkyne monomer, and OADTP. The toughening effect of OADTP on PTA resins is analyzed by impact performance test and electronic microscope characterization, and the thermal performance of resins is measured by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis. The results show that the addition of the POSS can improve the mechanical properties of PTA resins. The impact strength of POSS-PTA resins first increases and then decreases with the increase in the POSS compound, and the maximum one arrives at 54.8 kJ m−2 which increases by 44.2% as compared to 38 kJ m−2 of the PTA resin. A good thermal stability remains in POSS-PTA resins.

Synthesis of Monofunctionalized Silsesquioxanes (RSiMe2 O)(iBu)7 Si8 O12 via Alkene Hydrosilylation

The research presented in this work comprehensively describes hydrosilylation of a wide spectrum of alkenes which contain one or more reactive groups with (HSiMe₂ O)(iBu)₇ Si₈ O₁₂ , in the presence of different types of catalysts. Special attention is paid to the influence of alkene, catalyst, and reaction conditions on process effectiveness and selectivity by the precise monitoring of the experiments with in situ FTIR and NMR spectroscopies. More than twenty silsesquioxanes bearing reactive groups (OH, Br, NR₂ , CO, COOR, NCO, epoxy, SiR₃ ) commonly used in organic and polymer chemistry, were obtained, isolated and characterized by ¹ H, ¹³ C, ²⁹ Si NMR and MALDI TOF. Importantly, in the presented syntheses, commercially available reagents and catalysts were used, meaning that the presented methods could be easily repeated, rapidly scaled up, and widely applied.

N-Phenylaminomethyl hybrid silica, a better alternative to achieve reinforced PU nanocomposites

A novel NPAM-silica was synthesized by an economic and environmentally friendly method. It was chemically cooperated into polyurethane with enhanced mechanical properties. Compared with N-phenylaminomethyl POSS/PU composites, the crosslinking junction states and the mechanical properties are different. NPAM-silica provided a better alternative for polymer/nanocomposites.

Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics of Bio-Nanocomposites Consisting of Poly-L-lactic Acid and Self-Assembling Siloxane Nanoparticles with Three Phases

Biopolymer nanocomposites (bio-nanocomposite) consisting of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and siloxane nanoparticles with three phases, a high-density siloxane phase (plural cores), an elastomeric silicone phase, and a caprolactone oligomer phase, were developed to increase the mechanical properties of PLLA. The nanoparticles, average size of 13 nm, were self-assembled by aggregation and condensation of an organosiloxane with three units: isocyanatepropyltrimethoxysilane (IPTS), polymethylpropyloxysiloxane (PMPS), and a caprolactone oligomer (CLO), which form each phase. The bio-nanocomposite was produced using PLLA and the nanoparticles. Bending and tensile testing showed that the use of these nanoparticles (5 wt% in PLLA) greatly increases the tenacity (breaking strain) of PLLA while maintaining its relatively high breaking (maximum) strength. The elongation of the nanocomposite was more than twice that of PLLA while the elasticity modulus and breaking (maximum) strength were comparable to those of PLLA. The nanoparticles also increased the impact strength of PLLA. The use of the nanoparticles almost did not show adverse affect on the thermal resistance of PLLA. The nanocomposite’s heat resistance indicated by the glass transition temperature and heat distortion temperature was fairly kept. The decomposition temperature of the nanocomposite somewhat increased.

High frequency rheometry of viscoelastic coatings with the quartz crystal microbalance

We describe a quantitative method for using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to characterize the high frequency viscoelastic response of glassy polymer coatings with thicknesses in the 5-10 μm regime. By measuring the frequency and dissipation at the fundamental resonant frequency (5 MHz) and at the third harmonic (15 MHz), we obtain three independent quantities. For coatings with a predominantly elastic response, characterized by relatively low phase angles, these quantities are the mass per unit area of the coating, the density-shear modulus product, and the phase angle itself. The approach was demonstrated with a model polyurethane coating, where the evolution of these properties as a function of cure time was investigated. For fully cured films, data obtained from the QCM are in good agreement with results obtained from traditional dynamic mechanical analysis.

Morphology of inorganic–organic systems consisting of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) and polyamide 6

Preparation of inorganic-organic hybrids made of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) and polyamide 6 (PA6) has been attempted either by melt mixing of the two components or by in-situ polymerization of -caprolactam (CL) in presence of POSS. The samples have been characterized by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Specific processing conditions (namely, high T in presence of different shear stresses) have been tested. Two different approaches for melt mixing have been used and the morphology of the corresponding systems compared. The melt-mixed pairs prepared in the microcompounder revealed a coarse phase separation, while those made in a simple mixer did not show any perceivable POSS segregation phenomenon, as evidenced by both WAXD data and SEM investigation. Similarly, the in-situ polymerization of CL in presence of POSS did not result in any POSS self-aggregation in the polyamide matrix, achieving a very fine Si dispersion of nanometric dimensions.

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.