Integrated Extrinsic and Intrinsic Self-Healing of Polysiloxane Materials by Cleavable Molecular Cages Encapsulating Fluoride Ions

Self-healing ability is crucial to increasing the lifetime and reliability of materials. In this study, spatiotemporal control of the healing of a polysiloxane material is achieved using a cleavable cage compound encapsulating a fluoride ion (F- ), which triggeres the dynamic rearrangement of the siloxane (Si-O-Si) networks. A self-healing siloxane-based elastomer is prepared by cross-linking polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with a F- -encapsulating cage-type germoxane (Ge-O-Ge) compound. This material can self-heal repeatedly under humid conditions. The F- released by hydrolytic cleavage of the cage framework contributes to rejoining of the cut pieces by promoting the local rearrangement of the siloxane networks. The use of a molecular cage encapsulating a catalyst for dynamic bond rearrangement provides a new concept for designing self-healing polysiloxane materials based on integrated extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms.

A Fusion of Molecular Imprinting Technology and Siloxane Chemistry: A Way to Advanced Hybrid Nanomaterials

Molecular imprinting technology is a well-known strategy to synthesize materials with a predetermined specificity. For fifty years, the "classical" approach assumed the creation of "memory sites" in the organic polymer matrix by a template molecule that interacts with the functional monomer prior to the polymerization and template removal. However, the phenomenon of a material's "memory" provided by the "footprint" of the chemical entity was first observed on silica-based materials nearly a century ago. Through the years, molecular imprinting technology has attracted the attention of many scientists. Different forms of molecularly imprinted materials, even on the nanoscale, were elaborated, predominantly using organic polymers to induce the "memory". This field has expanded quickly in recent years, providing versatile tools for the separation or detection of numerous chemical compounds or even macromolecules. In this review, we would like to emphasize the role of the molecular imprinting process in the formation of highly specific siloxane-based nanomaterials. The distinct chemistry of siloxanes provides an opportunity for the facile functionalization of the surfaces of nanomaterials, enabling us to introduce additional properties and providing a way for vast applications such as detectors or separators. It also allows for catalyzing chemical reactions providing microreactors to facilitate organic synthesis. Finally, it determines the properties of siloxanes such as biocompatibility, which opens the way to applications in drug delivery and nanomedicine. Thus, a brief outlook on the chemistry of siloxanes prior to the discussion of the current state of the art of siloxane-based imprinted nanomaterials will be provided. Those aspects will be presented in the context of practical applications in various areas of chemistry and medicine. Finally, a brief outlook of future perspectives for the field will be pointed out.

The Phosphorus Bond, or the Phosphorus-Centered Pnictogen Bond: The Covalently Bound Phosphorus Atom in Molecular Entities and Crystals as a Pnictogen Bond Donor

The phosphorus bond in chemical systems, which is an inter- or intramolecular noncovalent interaction, occurs when there is evidence of a net attractive interaction between an electrophilic region associated with a covalently or coordinately bonded phosphorus atom in a molecular entity and a nucleophile in another, or the same, molecular entity. It is the second member of the family of pnictogen bonds, formed by the second member of the pnictogen family of the periodic table. In this overview, we provide the reader with a snapshot of the nature, and possible occurrences, of phosphorus-centered pnictogen bonding in illustrative chemical crystal systems drawn from the ICSD (Inorganic Crystal Structure Database) and CSD (Cambridge Structural Database) databases, some of which date back to the latter part of the last century. The illustrative systems discussed are expected to assist as a guide to researchers in rationalizing phosphorus-centered pnictogen bonding in the rational design of molecular complexes, crystals, and materials and their subsequent characterization.

Variation of counter quaternary ammonium cations of anionic cage germanoxanes as building blocks of nanoporous materials

Double-four ring (D4R)-type cage germanoxanes, having a fluoride anion in the cage, contain organic ammonium cations as counter cations outside the cage, and they are attractive as unique nano-building blocks of anionic porous materials. Although the variety of counter cations directly included in the cage germanoxane synthesis is limited, this study demonstrates that other tetraalkylammonium cations can be introduced by cation exchange in both discrete and cross-linked states. Tetraethylammonium (TEA) of a discrete cage germanoxane was replaced with tetrabutylammonium (TBA) in an organic solvent, which provides another starting material. TEA and TBA cations in cross-linked networks formed by hydrosilylation reactions of dimethylvinylsilylated cage germanoxanes with various oligosiloxanes as linkers were exchanged with tetramethylammonium (TMA) cations. The variation in the pore volume, which depends on the type of introduced counter cations and oligosiloxane linkers, is verified. In terms of bottom-up synthesis of nanoporous materials from cage-type germanoxanes, the selection of both the counter cation and cross-linker is important to vary the porosity.

A comparison of the chemical bonding and reactivity of Si8H8O12 and Ge8H8O12: A theoretical study

We have analyzed the chemical bonding and reactivity in the cubic molecule octahydridosilsesquioxane, Si₈H₈O₁₂, and its counterpart Ge₈H₈O₁₂ by means of ab initio quantum chemical methods and group theory. Density functional theory and MP2 methods combined with the basis sets 6-311+G(d) and 6-311++G(2d,p) were used for geometry optimization and vibrational frequency analysis. The geometries of Si₈H₈O₁₂ and Ge₈H₈O₁₂ are unstable under O_h symmetry and distort to the rare T_h molecular symmetry. The energy gained from this pseudo-Jahn-Teller distortion ranges from 0.78 to 6.14 kcal mol^-1 depending on methodological treatment. The Fukui functions and the molecular electrostatic potential were both used as DFT-based reactivity descriptors. Our study shows that Si₈H₈O₁₂ and Ge₈H₈O₁₂ are both hard amphoteric molecules. The cavity within each cage is acidic and able to encapsulate hard small bases such as F^-. The exterior of the cages is basic and can form stable exohedral complexes with hard acids, as in the case of H⁺. The insertion of F^- in Si₈H₈O₁₂ and Ge₈H₈O₁₂ cages gives the most stable endohedral complexes of the series studied, characterized by formation energies of -3.50 and -3.45 eV at CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d) and -3.61 and -3.68 eV at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level, respectively. The calculated formation energies of the exohedral and endohedral complexes align with the DFT reactivity descriptor analysis.

Functionalised polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with encapsulated fluoride - first observation of fluxional SiF interactions in POSS

The synthesis of a styryl functionalised POSS incorporating an encapsulated fluoride ion within a (SiO_1.5)₈ cage (T₈-F) is reported. It was characterised by single crystal XRD, MALDI-MS, FTIR, solution (²⁹Si, ¹⁹F, ¹³C, ¹H) and solid state (²⁹Si, ¹⁹F) NMR. In the absence of ¹H decoupling, the ²⁹Si solution NMR spectrum exhibited a triplet of doublets. In contrast, ¹H, ¹⁹F and ¹H/¹⁹F double-decoupling resulted in two, three and one signal, respectively, being consistent with a single Si site whose ²⁹Si NMR signal is modulated by both the proximal aromatic-ring protons and fluoride. The associated SiF coupling constant (2.5 Hz) is substantially lower than expected for a covalent Si-F bond and arises from a fluxional SiF covalent effect in which the F^- interacts equivalently with all eight Si atoms. Additional variable temperature NMR studies demonstrated a threshold at -5 °C below which no SiF interactions are observed, and above which an increasing SiF covalent character occurs.

Post-synthesis modification of functionalised polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes with encapsulated fluoride – enhancing reactivity of T8-F POSS for materials synthesis

The first successful approach for modifying poorly reactive POSS containing F⁻ (T₈-F) and incorporating intact T₈-F within a nanohybrid material is described.

Polyphenylsilsesquioxanes. New structures-new properties

The review describes the synthesis and properties of various forms of polyphenylsilsesquioxane (PPSQ). Among the forms described, we present the well-known ladder (l-PPSQ) and polyhedral (p-PPSQ) forms, from the first studies to the latest achievements. The practical prospects of these compounds and the possibility of their modification are estimated. These PPSQ have a regular polycyclic structure, which allowed us to compare them with random polycyclic analogs (r-PPSQ). The last part of the review describes the acyclic PPSQ (a-PPSQ) obtained recently. The methods for their synthesis and modification are presented. Modification of (a-PPSQ) allows two new forms of PPSQ to be obtained. The first one is a hyperbranched PPSQ. The second one is a globular PPSQ or a nanogel as it is called by the authors. Both forms are of great interest because their physicochemical properties differ greatly from the known ones (l-PPSQ, p-PPSQ, r-PPSQ). The areas of practical application of the new PPSQ forms are predicted.

The review describes the synthesis and properties of various forms of polyphenylsilsesquioxane (PPSQ).

Synthesis of Organosilyl-Functionalized Cage-Type Germanoxanes Containing Fluoride Ions

Eight corners of a double-four ring cage-type germanoxane, containing a fluoride ion, were successfully silylated by the combination of chlorosilanes and silazanes. Three different silyl groups, trimethylsilyl, dimethylsilyl, and dimethylvinylsilyl, were attached on the corners of germanoxane cage. The solubility and reactivity of the cage modified with dimethylvinylsilyl groups were significantly increased, allowing for further reaction. Hydrosilylation reaction between dimethylvinylsilylated cage geramanoxanes and dimethylsilylated cage siloxanes afforded porous solids. Functionalization of the corners of germanoxanes with silyl groups should provide valuable building blocks in various functional materials.

Self-assembly of fluoride-encapsulated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanocrystals

The self-assembly and crystal packing of a unique series of nanocrystalline fluoride ion-encapsulated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (F-POSS) compounds, with substituted electron-withdrawing group (EWG) perfluorinated alkyl chain arms of varying lengths, were investigated.

Strong Tetrel Bonds: Theoretical Aspects and Experimental Evidence

In recent years, noncovalent interactions involving group-14 elements of the periodic table acting as a Lewis acid center (or tetrel-bonding interactions) have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in supramolecular chemistry, material science and so on. The aim of the present study is to characterize the geometry, strength and bonding properties of strong tetrel-bond interactions in some charge-assisted tetrel-bonded complexes. Ab initio calculations are performed, and the results are supported by the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) approaches. The interaction energies of the anionic tetrel-bonded complexes formed between XF₃M molecule (X=F, CN; M=Si, Ge and Sn) and A- anions (A-=F-, Cl-, Br-, CN-, NC- and N₃-) vary between -16.35 and -96.30 kcal/mol. The M atom in these complexes is generally characterized by pentavalency, i.e., is hypervalent. Moreover, the QTAIM analysis confirms that the anionic tetrel-bonding interaction in these systems could be classified as a strong interaction with some covalent character. On the other hand, it is found that the tetrel-bond interactions in cationic tetrel-bonded [p-NH₃(C₆H₄)MH₃]⁺···Z and [p-NH₃(C₆F₄)MH₃]⁺···Z complexes (M=Si, Ge, Sn and Z=NH₃, NH₂CH₃, NH₂OH and NH₂NH₂) are characterized by a strong orbital interaction between the filled lone-pair orbital of the Lewis base and empty BD*M-C orbital of the Lewis base. The substitution of the F atoms in the benzene ring provides a strong orbital interaction, and hence improved tetrel-bond interaction. For all charge-assisted tetrel-bonded complexes, it is seen that the formation of tetrel-bond interaction is accompanied bysignificant electron density redistribution over the interacting subunits. Finally, we provide some experimental evidence for the existence of such charge-assisted tetrel-bond interactions in crystalline phase.

Dimensionality Alteration and Intra- versus Inter-SBU Void Encapsulation in Zinc Phosphate Frameworks

4,4'-Bipyridine-N-oxide (BIPYMO, 1), a less commonly employed coordination polymer linker, has been used as a ditopic spacer to bridge double-four-ring (D4R) zinc phosphate clusters to form novel framework coordination polymers. Zinc phosphate framework compounds [Zn4(X-dipp)4(BIPYMO)2]n·2MeOH [X = H (2), Cl (3), Br (4), I (5); dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl phosphate] have been obtained by treating a methanol solution of zinc acetate with X-dippH2 and BIPYMO (in a 1:1:1 molar ratio) at ambient conditions. Framework phosphates 2-5 can also be obtained by treating the preformed D4R cubanes [Zn(X-dipp)(DMSO)]4 with required quantities of BIPYMO in methanol. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that these framework solids are two-dimensional (2D) networks as opposed to the diamondoid networks obtained when the parent unoxidized 4,4'-bipyridine is used as the linker (Inorg. Chem. 2014, 53, 8959). The two types of voids (viz., smaller intra-D4R and larger inter-D4R) present in these framework solids can be utilized for different types of encapsulation processes. For example, the in situ generated 2D framework 2 encapsulates fluoride ions accompanied by a change in the dimensionality of the framework to yield {[(nC4H9)4N][F@(Zn4(dipp)4(BIPYMO)2)]}n (6). The three-dimensional framework 6 represents the first structurally characterized example of a fluoride-ion-encapsulated polymeric coordination compound or a metal-organic framework. The possibility of utilizing inter-D4R voids as hosts for small organic molecules has been explored by treating in situ generated 2 with a series of organic molecules of appropriate size. Framework 2 has been found to be a selective host for benzil and not for other structurally similar molecules such as benzoquinone, benzidine, anthracene, naphthalene, α-pyridoin, etc. The benzil-occluded isolated framework [benzil@{Zn4(dipp)4(BIPYMO)2}]n (7) has been isolated as single crystals, and its crystal structure determination revealed the binding of benzil molecules to the framework through strong π-π interactions.

Complexes containing CO2and SO2. Mixed dimers, trimers and tetramers

Two stable minima for the 1 : 1 heterodimer of CO₂ : SO₂, both bound by about 2 kcal mol⁻¹. Binding is dominated by charge transfer from O lone pairs of SO₂to CO π* antibonding orbitals.