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Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Synthesis of Soft Polysiloxane-urea Elastomers for Intraocular Lens Application
Published on: March 8, 2019
From Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane to Reprocessable and Recyclable Networks of Polydimethylsiloxane via One-Pot
Guohua Hang1, Xibin Shen1, Yawei Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Synergistic Chem-Bio Synthesis, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) networks were generated with octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and 1,4-bis(heptaisobutylPOSS)dipropoxybutane (denoted diPOSS) via a one-pot reaction approach, which was mediated with tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF). The reaction involving the formation of PDMS networks included: (i) the fluoride-initiated anionic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of D4, and (ii) the rearrangement of siloxane. By varying the feed ratios of D4 to diPOSS, the PDMS-POSS networks were obtained with variable crosslinking densities, having tunable thermal and mechanical properties. Benefiting from the incorporation of TBAF, the crosslinked networks can be reprocessed without sacrificing their mechanical strengths. Furthermore, the PDMS-POSS networks can be depolymerized into oligomeric siloxanes with the aid of a polar solvent (i.e., tetrahydrofuran). Upon removing the solvent, the networks can be regenerated with the reverted mechanical strengths.
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