Dual-functional fluorinated-thiolated silsesquioxane nanoparticles for UV nanoimprinting via thiol-ene chemistry

Abstract

Dual-functional fluorinated silsesquioxane nanoparticles (SQ-NPs) containing thiol groups have been developed as efficient hybrid materials for UV-induced nanoimprinting via thiol-ene chemistry. The hydrolytic co-condensation of thiol-containing and fluorinated triethoxysilanes was carried out under suitable conditions to afford dual-functional fluorinated SQ-NPs with tunable thiol contents in high yields. The subsequent thiol-ene reactions of the thiol groups of the SQ-NPs with (perfluoroalkyl)ethylenes resulted in dual-fluorinated SQ-NPs with relatively narrow size distribution (average particle diameter less than 4 nm), good solubility, as well as reasonable hydrophobicity and oleophobicity. UV-cured hybrid films obtained from the dual-functional SQ-NPs and a diacrylate crosslinker in the presence of a photoinitiator exhibited excellent properties, including transparency, thermal property, hydrophobicity, and miscibility with other ingredients. UV-induced nanoimprinting of these components produced high-resolution patterns with features of around 100 nm in size, suggesting that the dual-functional fluorinated-thiolated SQ-NPs developed in this study could represent promising candidates for nanoimprint lithography.