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Most inorganic nucleating agents for poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have limited nucleating ability due to poor compatibility with PET. Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) is a type of cage-shaped organic/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles with three different particle sizes: octameric (T8), decameric (T10), and dodecameric (T12). POSS is considered as a promising nucleating agent for PET because the inorganic moieties contribute to high thermal stability and nucleation and the organic moieties can be tethered to PET chains. In contrast to T8 POSS, the nucleation ability of T12 POSS for PET has been poorly reported. In this study, our newly synthesized aminopropyl functionalized T12 POSS (A-POSS) is proposed as a potential nucleating agent for PET. The amine group of A-POSS is able to be chemically conjugated to PET chains, thereby giving a more homogeneous dispersion of T12 POSS in PET than non-functional T12 Phenyl POSS (N-POSS). Its PET composites gave a ∼1.2 fold higher crystallization temperature and ∼2.7 fold higher shear-induced crystallization rate over pristine PET. Such nucleating effects for PET is more effective than those of non-functional T12 POSS and the more widely studied T8 POSS. This strategy is potentially beneficial for the high-shear melt processes of PET such as spinning and film extrusion.

A series of organic–inorganic hybrid spin-on-glass polymethylsilsesquioxanes were synthesized utilizing a cyclic siloxane precursor, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-1,3,5,7-tetrahydroxyl cyclosiloxane (MT4-OH), copolymerized with methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) at various comonomer ratios. By selectively introducing this 2-D cyclic crosslinker, we were able to obtain spin-on-glass hybrimers with low dielectric constant (2.5–2.7), high nanoindentation modulus (5–10.5 GPa), with high thermal stability (>700 °C) without the use of porogens or additives. The use of the cyclic monomer MT4-OH greatly increased the mechanical properties, which allowed for impeccable reliability of a variety of patterns obtained through etching and chemical mechanical planarization processes, while maintaining optimal gap-filling properties. Due to the superior dielectric, mechanical, and integrated processing of these materials, these hybrids derived from MT4-OH may be utilized as next generation spin-on-glass low-dielectric constant materials.

Three reactive dichroic dyes with 3,5-dichloro-2,4,6-triazine moiety were synthesized by reaction between dichroic dyes (such as congo red, direct black 22 or direct black 4) and cyanuric chloride. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films were dyed with the obtained three reactive dichroic dyes. After 400% drawing of the PVA films, their optical properties were compared with an iodine-doped PVA film prepared in the same condition. Durability test was performed at in 85% of relative humidity for 120 hrs. We found that compared with the iodine-doped PVA polarizing film, the relative durability of the PVA polarizing film dyed with the reactive dichroic dyes was greatly improved.

The stereo cyclic siloxane compounds having tetra hydroxyl and tetra methyl group were synthesized by hydrolysis of tetrahydrido tetramethyl cyclosiloxane consisting of four stereoisomers. Among the stereo cyclic isomers, cis-trans-cis tetrahydroxyl tetramethyl cyclosiloxane (2) was separated by recrystallization and was used as a monomer species for preparation of ladder-like polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ). The isolated isomer was directly polymerized in THF with potassium carbonate (K2CO3) by systematic ring condensation. The hydrolyzed stereoisomers were characterized by 1H and 29Si NMR, and HPLC. The structure of the synthesized PMSQs were characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), MALDI-TOF mass, 29Si NMR, and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).

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