Hybrid thiol-ene network nanocomposites based on multi(meth)acrylate POSS

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Polyhedral OligoSilsesquioxanes (POSS) are unique nanoscale building blocks with potential in advanced materials.
• Thiol-ene click chemistry offers efficient routes for polymer network formation.
• Understanding polymerization behavior in POSS-functionalized systems is crucial for material design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize multi(meth)acrylate functionalized POSS monomers.
• To investigate the homopolymerization and copolymerization behavior of these POSS monomers in thiol-ene reactions.
• To characterize the resulting POSS-based hybrid polymer networks.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of multi(meth)acrylate functionalized POSS monomers.
• Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to study polymerization kinetics and mechanisms.
• X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) for network characterization.

Main Results:

• Multi(meth)acrylate POSS monomers were successfully synthesized.
• Photopolymerization rate of multimethacrylate POSS was higher than multiacrylate POSS.
• Thiol-ene reactions with octa(3-mercaptopropyl) POSS predominantly resulted in copolymerization, unlike traditional systems.
• Characterization confirmed the formation of homogeneous POSS-based hybrid networks with high thermal stability.

Conclusions:

• Novel POSS monomers enable efficient thiol-ene copolymerization, leading to unique network structures.
• The developed POSS-based hybrid networks exhibit excellent homogeneity and thermal properties.
• This work provides a foundation for designing high-performance POSS-containing polymers.