Preparation of Photo-curable Thiol-Ene Hybrids and Their Application for Optical Materials

Thiol-ene reaction with thiol-containing polysilsesquioxanes and multifunctional allyl compounds produced new type of organic-inorganic hybrid materials. Thiol-containing polysilsesquioxanes were prepared from the hydrolysis and condensation of mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane. When triallylisocianate (TAIC) as multifunctional allyl compounds was reacted with the silsesquioxanes under UV irradiation, these obtained hybrid materials had some specific properties such as high transparency, high refractive index, and thick film formation, in addition to low shrinkage after photo-curing. The light resistance was superior to the photo-cured multi-acrylates, because there was no coloration due to the decomposition of photoinitiators. And also, these hybrid materials had high heat resistance compared to non-hybrid thiol-ene cured materials.