Engineering two nitrogen-containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (N-POSSs) to enhance the fire safety of epoxy resin endowed with superior thermal stability

Eco-Friendly One-Pot Supramolecular-Assembly of P-N Flame Retardant for Fire-Safe Epoxy Resin

Flame retardant treatment of epoxy resins (EP) to reduce their flammability for extending their range of applications attracts considerable attention. However, the synthesis process of conventional flame retardants is complicated and involves organic hazardous solvents. Meanwhile, how to ensure both the flame-retardant and mechanical properties is a long-standing and actual difficult problem. In this work, a supramolecular flame retardant (named ATPFR) is facilely created by one-pot reaction, using cheap and accessible raw materials in an ecologically benign aqueous solvent. ATPFR is applied to improve the fire safety of EP. With only 5 wt% ATPFR addition, EP can reach the limiting oxygen index of 28.5% and the UL-94 V-0 rating with a significant "blow-out effect." The cone calorimetry test reveals that the EP thermoset with 5 wt% ATPFR has a 75.8% reduction in the peak heat release rate (p-HRR) and a 67.3% reduction in the peak smoke production rate (p-SPR), respectively, compared with the pure EP. Additionally, EP composites with the small amount of ATPFR exhibit a slight decrease and maintain good mechanical properties. Therefore, the facile synthesis and application of this supramolecular flame retardant provide a reliable way for the construction of polymer materials with environment-friendly and effective flame-retardant system.

Design of P-decorated POSS towards flame-retardant, mechanically-strong, tough and transparent epoxy resins

Epoxy resins (EPs) are known for their durability, strength, and adhesive properties, which make them a versatile and popular material for use in a variety of applications, including chemical anticorrosion, small electronic devices, etc. However, EP is highly flammable due to its chemical nature. In this study, phosphorus-containing organic-inorganic hybrid flame retardant (APOP) was synthesized by introducing 9, 10-dihydro-9-oxa-10‑phosphaphenathrene (DOPO) into cage-like octaminopropyl silsesquioxane (OA-POSS) via Schiff base reaction. The improved flame retardancy of EP was achieved by combining the physical barrier of inorganic Si-O-Si with the flame-retardant capability of phosphaphenanthrene. EP composites containing 3 wt% APOP passed the V-1 rating with a value of LOI of 30.1% and showed an apparent reduction in smoke release. Additionally, the combination of the inorganic structure and the flexible aliphatic segment in the hybrid flame retardant provides EP with molecular reinforcement, while the abundance of amino groups facilitates a good interface compatibility and outstanding transparency. Accordingly, EP containing 3 wt% APOP increased in tensile strength, impact strength, and flexural strength by 66.0 %, 78.6 %, and 32.3 %, respectively. The EP/APOP composites had a bending angle lower than 90°, and their successful transition to a tough material highlights the potential of this innovative combination of the inorganic structure and the flexible aliphatic segment. In addition, the relevant flame-retardant mechanism revealed that the APOP promoted the formation of a hybrid char layer containing P/N/Si for EP and produced phosphorus-containing fragments during combustion, showing flame-retardant effects in both condensed and vapor phases. This research offers innovative solutions for reconciling flame retardancy & mechanical performances and strength & toughness for polymers.

Efficient Adsorption and Extraction of Glutathione S-Transferases with Glutathione-Functionalized Graphene Oxide-Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Composite

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are important type-II detoxification enzymes that protect DNA and proteins from damage and are often used as protein tags for the expression of fusion proteins. In the present work, octa-aminopropyl caged polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OA-POSS) was prepared via acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and polymerized on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) through an amidation reaction. Glutathione (GSH) was then modified to GO-POSS through a Michael addition reaction to obtain a GSH-functionalized GO-POSS composite (GPG). The structure and characteristics of the as-prepared GPG composite were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravity analysis, and surface charge analysis. The specific binding interactions between glutathione and GST gave GPG favorable adsorption selectivity towards GST, and other proteins did not affect GST adsorption. The adsorption behavior of GST on the GPG composite conformed to the Langmuir isotherm model, and the adsorption capacity of GST was high up to 364.94 mg g^-1 under optimal conditions. The GPG-based solid-phase adsorption process was applied to the extraction of GST from a crude enzyme solution of pig liver, and high-purity GST was obtained via SDS-PAGE identification.

Triphenylbenzene functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane fluorescence sensor for the selective analysis of trace nitrofurazone in aquatic product and cosmetics

Nitrofurazone (NFZ) is carcinogenic and mutagenic to human in long-term ingestion, and it is prohibited to be added in food. In this work, a novel triphenylbenzene (TPB) functionalized fluorescent hybrid porous polymers (POSS@TPB) was constructed by using polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) as the rigid group and TPB as the core unit of high fluorescence. The morphology and physicochemical properties of POSS@TPB were characterized in detail. Moreover, the synergistic effect of inner filter effect and photoinduced electron transfer is verified by experimental and simulation results. After condition optimization, a NFZ analysis method based on POSS@TPB probe was established with a linear range of 0.4-16.5 mg/L and a detection limit of 0.13 mg/L. In addition, the fluorescent probe has good stability, anti-interference and considerable reusability. At the same time, the selective analysis of trace NFZ in aquatic product and cosmetics was carried out with satisfied recoveries of 87%-110.6% and relative standard deviation less than 4.1%. And the results were verified by high-performance liquid chromatography method. Overall, this fluorescence sensor has excellent performance in NFZ analysis, which provides a broad application prospect for the repeatable and selective residue NFZ analysis in aquatic product and cosmetics.