Reactive Hybrid of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) and Sulfur as a Building Block for Self‐Healing Materials

This work demonstrates a new reactive and functional hybrid (S‐MMA‐POSS) of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and sulfur prepared with a direct reaction between a multifunctional methacrylated POSS compound (MMA‐POSS) and elemental sulfur (S₈) through the “inverse vulcanization” process. S‐MMA‐POSS is an effective building block for imparting self‐healing ability to the corresponding thermally crosslinked POSS‐containing nanocomposites through a self‐curing reaction and co‐curing reaction with conventional thermosetting resins. Moreover, S‐MMA‐POSS is also a useful precursor for preparation of materials with high transparency in mid‐infrared region.