Synthesis of Benzophenone-functionalized Silsesquioxane and Photo-chemical Reactions in the Film State

Abstract

Silsesquioxane functionalized with benzophenone group (BP-SQ) was synthesized via thiol-ene reaction between(4-allyloxy)benzophenone and(3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane,and the following hydrolysis/polycondensation of the alkoxysilane groups. Owing to generation of photo-radicals on/inside BP-SQ film, photo-graft polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) monomer successfully proceeded, and simultaneously, photo-hardening of the SQ film was achieved through photo-crosslinking such as photo-dimerization of the BP moieties.