Characteristics of Thermosetting Polymer Nanocomposites: Siloxane-Imide-Containing Benzoxazine with Silsesquioxane Epoxy Resins

Double-Decker-Shaped Polyhedral Silsesquioxanes Reinforced Epoxy/Bismaleimide Hybrids Featuring High Thermal Stability

In this study, we synthesized bismaleimide into a functionalized double-decker silsesquioxane (DDSQ) cage. This was achieved by hydrosilylation of DDSQ with nadic anhydride (ND), reacting it with excess p-phenylenediamine to obtain DDSQ-ND-NH₂, and treating with maleic anhydride (MA), which finally created a DDSQ-BMI cage structure. We observed that the thermal decomposition temperature (T_d) and char yield were both increased upon increasing the thermal polymerization temperature, and that these two values were both significantly higher than pure BMI without the DDSQ cage structure since the inorganic DDSQ nanoparticle could strongly enhance the thermal stability based on the nano-reinforcement effect. Based on FTIR, TGA, and DMA analyses, it was found that blending epoxy resin with the DDSQ-BMI cage to form epoxy/DDSQ-BMI hybrids could also enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy resin due to the organic/inorganic network formation created by the ring-opening polymerization of the epoxy group and the addition polymerization of the BMI group due to the combination of the inorganic DDSQ cage structure and hydrogen bonding effect. The epoxy/DDSQ-BMI = 1/1 hybrid system displayed high T_g value (188 °C), T_d value (397 °C), and char yield (40.4 wt%), which was much higher than that of the typical DGEBA type epoxy resin with various organic curing agents.

Metal Complexes of the Porphyrin-Functionalized Polybenzoxazine

New porphyrin-functionalized benzoxazine (Por-BZ) in high purity and yield was synthesized in this study based on ¹H and ¹³C NMR and FTIR spectroscopic analyses through the reduction of Schiff base formed from tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (TAPP) and salicylaldehyde and the subsequent reaction with CH₂O. Thermal properties of the product formed through ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of Por-BZ were measured using DSC, TGA and FTIR spectroscopy. Because of the rigid structure of the porphyrin moiety appended to the benzoxazine unit, the temperature required for ROP (314 °C) was higher than the typical Pa-type benzoxazine monomer (ca. 260 °C); furthermore, poly(Por-BZ) possessed a high thermal decomposition temperature (T_d10 = 478 °C) and char yield (66 wt%) after thermal polymerization at 240 °C. An investigation of the thermal and luminescence properties of metal–porphyrin complexes revealed that the insertion of Ni and Zn ions decreased the thermal ROP temperatures of the Por-BZ/Ni and Por-BZ/Zn complexes significantly, to 241 and 231 °C, respectively. The metal ions acted as the effective promoter and catalyst for the thermal polymerization of the Por-BZ monomer, and also improved the thermal stabilities after thermal polymerization.

Hydroxyalkyl-substituted double-decker silsesquioxanes: effective separation of cis and trans isomers

A procedure to sequentially crystallize the two isomers of hydroxyalkyl-substituted double-decker silsesquioxanes from one another, which may result in the preparation of new materials and polymers with well-defined properties, is reported.

Synthesis and Thermal Degradation Study of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Modified Phenolic Resin

In this paper, a new polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane containing a phenol group (POSS-Phenol) is prepared through the Michael addition reaction, which is added to the synthesis of phenolic resin as a functional monomer. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) is used to demonstrate the chemistry structure of the synthesized POSS modified phenolic resin. After introducing POSS into the resole, a comprehensive study is conducted to reveal the effects of POSS on the thermal degradation of phenolic resin. First, thermal degradation behaviors of neat phenolic resin and modified phenolic resin are carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Then, the gas volatiles from thermal degradation are investigated by thermogravimetric mass spectrometry (TG-MS). Finally, the residues after thermal degradation are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The research indicates that POSS modified phenolic resin shows a better thermal stability than neat phenolic resin, especially at high temperatures under air atmosphere. On the one hand, the introduction of the POSS group can effectively improve the release temperature of oxygen containing volatiles. On the other hand, the POSS group forms silica at high temperatures under air, which can effectively inhibit the thermal oxidation of phenolic resin and make phenolic resin show a better high-temperature oxidation resistance.