Improvement of biocompatibility and biodegradability of poly(ethylene succinate) by incorporation of poly(ethylene glycol) segments

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segments were incorporated into poly(ethylene succinate) (PES) by chain-extension reaction of PEG with PES using 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate as a chain-extender, forming a poly(ester ether urethane) (PEEU). The chemical structures and molecular weights of the PEEUs were determined by ¹H NMR and GPC, respectively. The composition dependence of thermal transitions, crystallization, hydrophilicity, in vitro biocompatibility, in vitro biodegradation and tensile properties of the PEEUs were systematically investigated. The glass transition temperature and degree of crystallinity of PEEU decreased with increase of PEG content. The hydrophilicity increased with PEG content as proved by the decreased water contact angle and increased water absorption. The results of cell culturing suggested that the in vitro biocompatibility increased with PEG content. Hydrolytic degradation demonstrated that degradation rate of PEEU increased with PEG content, which was caused by the increased hydrophilicity and decreased degree of crystallinity with increase of PEG content. The tensile results proved that the tensile strength and modulus decreased while elongation at break increased with PEG content.     

Tuning the interlaminar shear strength and thermo-mechanical properties of glass fiber composites by incorporation of (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane-functionalized carbon black

The incorporation of functionalized nanoscale fillers into traditional glass fiber/unsaturated polyester (GF/UPE) composites provides a more robust mechanical attributes. The current study demonstrates the potential of 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTS)-functionalized carbon black (f-CB) for enhancing the thermo-mechanical properties of GF composites. The composites infused with 1, 3 and 5 wt% of pristine and MPTS-functionalized CB were fabricated by hand lay-up and hot press processing. Tensile testing, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) testing and dynamic mechanical analysis were used to evaluate the performance of nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy validated the MPTS functionalization of CB. Pristine CB-loaded nanocomposites exhibited marginal improvement in ultimate tensile strength (UTS), ILSS and thermo-mechanical properties. However, with the addition of f-CB, the improvement in all the studied properties was more substantial. The inclusion of 5 wt% f-CB increased the elastic modulus and UTS by 16 and 22%, respectively, whereas the ILSS was enhanced by 36%, in comparison to the neat GF composite. The scanning electron microscope analysis of fractured ILSS samples revealed better fiber-matrix adhesion and compatibility in f-CB-loaded nanocomposites. At the same filler weight percentage, the storage modulus at 25 °C was ~ 19% higher than that of neat composite. The f-CB inclusion resulted in increment of T _g by ~ 13 °C over the T _g of neat GF/UPE composite (~ 109 °C). These improvements were due to the chemical connection of f-CB to the UPE matrix and GF surface. With such improvements in thermal and mechanical properties, these nanocomposites can replace the conventional GF composites with prominent improvements in performance.     

聚丁二酸丁二酯/酒糟复合材料的性能

采用NaOH对酒糟(DG)氧化预处理,同时采用不同改性剂对DG表面改性,将DG与聚丁二酸丁二酯(PBS)进行熔融共混,制备可生物降解PBS/DG复合材料,并进行75 d堆肥降解试验。探讨了DG对复合材料拉伸性能、结晶性能、热稳定性和降解性能的影响。结果表明,当未改性DG粒径为109μm、添加量为7份时,复合材料的拉伸强度和断裂伸长率较纯PBS分别提高了15.56%和20.31%。当DG采用5%NaOH溶液在40℃水浴下搅拌处理30 min后,碱处理纤维与PBS的极性差异导致相容性较差,断裂伸长率下降,但材料亲水性明显增强,降解速率加快,经过75 d堆肥降解后质量损失率达到42.82%,较纯PBS提高了5.90倍。用改性剂表面改性经碱处理后的DG,可以明显改善复合材料的界面相容性。与纯PBS相比,当采用2份KH-560表面改性7份碱处理的DG后,复合材料拉伸强度和断裂伸长率分别提高了23.66%和33.18%,且复合材料的亲水性明显提高,经75 d堆肥降解后质量损失率比纯PBS提高了5.16倍,复合材料质量损失10%和50%的热分解温度较纯PBS分别提高了11℃和14℃,仍具有良好的热稳定性。此外,DG的加入对PBS的晶型没有明显改变。     

Thermal properties and crystallization behaviors of polylactide/redwood flour or bamboo fiber composites

A series of polylactide/redwood flour (PLA/RWF) and polylactide/bamboo fiber (PLA/BF) composites were successfully prepared using a solution mixing procedure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize these composites. Thermal properties and crystallization behaviors of PLA composites were determined by their respective techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). With the increasing content of fibers, the glass transition temperature (T _g ), crystallization temperature (T _c ), and melting temperature (T _m ) of PLA/RWF composites decreased first and then increased, but T _g and T _m of PLA/BF composites increased first and decreased afterwards. It is suggested that fibers could improve the segmental mobility of PLA; meanwhile, the different morphologies, sizes, and densities of RWF and BF have different effects on thermal properties of composites. Under the increasing content of RWF, the crystallization rate of the composite increased first and decreased afterwards. When the content of RWF was 5%, the crystallization rate was at its maximum. It could be possible that the addition of fibers was able to nucleate PLA and increase the degree of crystallinity, but the excess content of fibers easily led to heterogeneous composites and subsequent poor crystallization behaviors. In a word, thermal properties and crystallization behaviors of PLA composites were regularly changing by increasing content of fibers.     

Investigation on microstructures,melting and crystallization behaviors,mechanical and processing properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-isotactic polypropylene /CaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> toughening masterbatch composites

In this study, β-isotactic polypropylene (β-iPP)/CaCO₃ toughening masterbatch (CTM) composites were compounded in a single screw extruder. The microstructures and properties of the composites were investigated. It was shown that CTM influenced the crystallinity and crystallization temperature of β-iPP. The flexural modulus and storage modulus (E’) at 23 °C increased with the increasing CTM content, implying the increased stiffness of the composites. The improved miscibility between β-iPP and CTM was demonstrated by the decreased glass transition temperatures of the composites. The Izod notched impact strength at 23 °C of the composites was directly related to the CTM content because of the competition between the morphological feature of β-iPP and the content of inorganic rigid toughening particles. The critical ligament thickness (τ _c = 1.47 μm) at 40% CTM content was calculated according to the modified Wu’s equation. The morphologies of impact fractured surfaces were observed and the massive shear deformation was related to the debonding of CaCO₃ particles. The presence of CTM also improved the melt flowability and dimensional stability but it was detrimental to heat deflection temperature (HDT) of the composites.     

Facile preparation and good performance of nano-Ag/metallocene polyethylene antibacterial coatings

Metallocene polyethylene/nano-silver coatings were prepared by a facile air-spray method on polymer films. Different from the prevailing strategy to endow polyethylene with antibacterial performance, we used metallocene polyethylene sol and nano-silver as a precursor to deposit coatings on polymers at a relatively low operating temperature. Antibacterial coatings with excellent mechanical properties, water resistance, and low silver release were achieved. The composite coatings were examined in terms of surface characteristics, mechanical properties, and antibacterial activity against two representative bacterial strains including Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The composite coatings exhibited favorable microstructure, good mechanical properties, and suitable crystallinity. The antimicrobial tests indicated that the fabricated composite coatings showed promising antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Furthermore, Ag ions released by the composite coating after 30 days were under 1.2 ppb. These results indicated a promising prospect of the composite coating for wide antibacterial applications.     

Low molecular weight paraffin,as phase change material,in physical and micro-structural changes of novel LLDPE/LDPE/paraffin composite pellets and films

Latent heat storage system by phase change materials is an effective method to achieve high density energy storage. A novel composite pellet consisted of a blend of linear low density polyethylene and low density polyethylene (LLDPE/LDPE) with low molecular weight paraffin (a phase change material, at 25 and 50 wt%) has been developed and coated by calcium silicate to prevent paraffin leakage. Three-layer coextruded films containing the paraffin composites as the middle layer have been prepared from each group for application as plastic film cover to control undesirable temperature variations during the storage of agricultural crops. The Melt Flow Index and thermal properties of the pellets as well as the quantity of paraffin leakage were studied. Thermal/morphological and permeation properties of the coextruded films have been investigated. The results showed that the LLDPE/LDPE polymer matrix provided an appropriate structural morphology for low molecular weight paraffin (n < 18) entrapment with good miscibility and low paraffin leakage (< 5%). Based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermographs, this type of paraffin may promote the compatibility between linear and low-density polyethylene. A dispersion-type morphology was observed in the micrograph of LLDPE/LDPE film, where the sizes of the spherical micro-domains were reduced as evident in the microscopic images of the paraffin-containing composite films. At storage temperatures below the phase change temperature (T < 25 °C), the oxygen permeability was substantially decreased because of the combined effects of paraffin crystallites and calcium silicate.     

Effect of flax fiber content on polylactic acid (PLA) crystallization in PLA/flax fiber composites

Crystallization of polylactic acid (PLA) has a profound effect on its thermal stability and mechanical properties. However, almost no crystallization occurs in actual injection molding process due to rapid cooling program. In this paper, flax fiber was employed as nucleator to enhance the crystallization capability of PLA. Effects of flax fiber content on cold crystallization, melt crystallization, crystallinity, crystal form, morphologies, and size of spherulites of PLA/flax fiber composites were investigated. Dynamic mechanical analysis was innovatively employed to study cold crystallization temperature of PLA/flax fiber composites under dynamic force, and the relationship between cold crystallization temperature (y) and flax fiber content (x) data was fitted by the function y = 34.1 × exp (?x/5.7) + 78.0. The differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the cold crystallization temperature of composites dropped, the melt crystallization temperature of composites increased, and the crystallinity of composites improved with increasing of flax fiber content. Using polarized optical microscopy, it has been found that the spherocrystal size of composites was much smaller than that of neat PLA, and flax fiber induced transcrystallization on the flax fiber surfaces. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction was applied to reveal that flax fiber significantly enhanced the formation of α-form PLA crystals.     

Poly(ethylene glycol)‐modulated cellular biocompatibility of polyhydroxyalkanoate films

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and its copolymer with hydroxyvalerate, P(HB‐co‐HV), are widely used biomaterials. In this study, improvements of their biological properties of degradability and compatibility were achieved by blending with low‐molecular‐weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG106) approved for medical use. Surface morphology and chemistry are known to support cell attachment. Attachment and proliferation of neural olfactory ensheathing cells increased by 17.0 and 32.2% for PHB and P(HB‐co‐HV) composite films. Cell attachment was facilitated by increases in surface hydrophilicity, water contact angles decreased by 26 ± 2° and water uptake increased by 23.3% depending upon biopolymer and PEG loading. Cells maintained high viability (>95%) on the composite films with no evidence of cytotoxic effects. Assays of mitochondrial function and cell leakage showed improved cell health as a consequence of PEG loading. The PEG component was readily solubilised from composite films, allowing control of degradation profiles in the cell growth medium. Promotion of biopolymer compatibility and degradability was not at the expense of material properties, with the extension to break of the composites increasing by 5.83 ± 1.06%. Similarly, crystallinity decreased by 36%. The results show that blending of common polyhydroxyalkanoate biomaterials with low‐molecular‐weight PEG can be used to promote biocompatibility and manipulate physiochemical and material properties as well as degradation.© 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

The Effect of the Nano-ZnO Concentration on the Mechanical,Antibacterial and Melt Rheological Properties of LLDPE/Modified Nano-ZnO Composite Films

LLDPE/modified nano-ZnO composite films were prepared using LLDPE and KH550-modified nano-ZnO by melt blending and blowing. The research results indicated that the introduction of the modified nano-ZnO improved the mechanical properties of the LLDPE films, the maximum tensile strength and elongation at break were obtained at modified nano-ZnO content of 0.3 wt%. The composite films exhibited favorable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The low doped content of modified nano-ZnO in LLDPE matrix made the melt viscosity of the composites increase slightly, it was coincident with variation of the balance torque with the nano-ZnO content.     

Preparation of acylated microcrystalline cellulose using olive oil and its reinforcing effect on poly(lactic acid) films for packaging application

A novel poly(lactic acid) (PLA) based composite, reinforced by microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared. MCC was modified by esterification reaction using olive oil for improving the compatibility with PLA matrix. The acylated microcrystalline cellulose (AMCC) exhibited reduced polarity in comparison to unmodified MCC. AMCC/ PLA composite films were prepared using solvent casting technique. The effects of the MCC surface modification on morphological, mechanical, physical, thermal, biodegradability and barrier properties of the PLA based MCC composites were studied. FTIR analysis confirmed acylation reaction of MCC. Scanning electron microscopy analysis exhibited a uniform distribution of AMCC in PLA matrix. Barrier properties of AMCC based composites were improved as compared to MCC based composites. The tensile strength and tensile modulus of composite films (at 2 wt.% AMCC) were improved about 13% and 35% as much as those of the pure PLA films, respectively. These biodegradable composite films can be a sustainable utilization of olive oil and microcrystalline cellulose in the food packaging application.     

聚偏氟乙烯/有机累托土纳米复合超滤膜的制备、表征和性能研究

用溶液插层法制备了聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)/有机累托土(OREC)纳米复合超滤膜,研究了OREC含量对复合膜力学性能、表面粗糙度、微观形貌、结晶行为和亲水性的影响,并测定了复合膜的性能。结果表明:OREC的加入对复合膜微观形貌有重要影响,使膜的孔隙率从44.6%增加至71.3%;OREC的加入有利于PVDF中亲水性β相的生成,在其含量较高时能显著提高复合膜的表面粗糙度和表面亲水性,并能同时提高复合膜的纯水通量和蛋白截留率;刚性OREC片层的加入,能显著改善复合膜的力学性能,对弹性模量的增强尤为明显,可达纯PVDF膜的5.8倍。     

Effect of epoxidized soybean oil grafted poly(12-hydroxy stearate) on mechanical and thermal properties of microcrystalline cellulose fibers/polypropylene composites

A new green compatibilizer named epoxidized soybean oil grafted poly(12-hydroxy stearate) (ESO-g-PHS) was successfully synthesized using 12-hydroxy stearic acid and epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). The chemical structure of ESO-g-PHS was investigated through Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. ESO-g-PHS was used as a compatibilizer to enhance the interfacial compatibility between polypropylene (PP) and microcrystalline cellulose fibers (MCF). The results showed that the impact strength and tensile strength were 33.55 and 27.57 MPa when the content loading of MCF reached 10 wt% and ESO-g-PHS was 4 wt%, which enhanced by 75.4 and 30.04 %, respectively, compared to that of composites without ESO-g-PHS. In addition, the SEM images of the fracture surfaces display that PP was highly bonded to MCF with ESO-g-PHS treated. In addition, the wide angle X-ray diffraction measurement revealed that the addition of ESO-g-PHS did not change the crystal structure of PP. Moreover, there was a slight improvement in thermal properties for PP composites with the addition of ESO-g-PHS.     

Effect of blend ratio on the dynamic mechanical and thermal degradation behavior of polymer–polymer composites from low density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate

Microfibrillar polymer–polymer composites (MFCs) based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were prepared by cold drawing-isotropization technique. The weight percentage of PET was varied from 5 to 45 %. Microfibrils with uniform diameter distribution were obtained at 15 to 25 wt% of PET as evident from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. Dynamic mechanical properties such as storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″) damping behavior (tan δ) were examined as a function of blend composition. The E′ values were found to be increasing up to 25 wt% of PET. An effort was made to model the storage modulus and damping characteristics of the MFCs using the classical equations used for short-fiber reinforced composites. The presence of PET microfibrils influenced the damping characteristics of the composite. The peak height at the β-transitions of loss modulus was lower for MFCs with 25 % PET, showing that they had superior damping characteristics. This phenomenon could be correlated with the PET microfibrils morphology. The thermal degradation characteristics of LDPE, neat blends and microfibrillar blends (MFBs) were compared. The determination of activation energy for thermal degradation was carried out using the Horowitz and Metzger method. The activation energy for thermal degradation of microfibrillar blends was found to be higher than that for the corresponding neat blends and MFCs. The long PET microfibrils present in MFBs could prevent the degradation and enhance the activation energy.     

Jute Reinforced Polymer Composite by Gamma Radiation: Effect of Surface Treatment with UV Radiation

Jute (Hessian cloth) reinforced polymer composites were prepared with a mixture of 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and aliphatic urethane diacrylate oligomer (EB-204), and then cured under gamma radiation. Thick pure polymer films (2 mm thickness) were prepared by using the same monomer and oligomer at different weight ratios, and 500 krad of total gamma radiation dose at 600 krad/hr was selected for the curing of all composites. Total radiation dose, jute content, and monomer concentration were optimized with the extent of mechanical properties. Among all resulting composites, the composite of 38% jute content at monomer:oligomer = 50:50 (w/w) ratios showed the better mechanical properties, such as 108% increase in tensile strength (TS), 58% increase in bending strength (BS), 138% increase in tensile modulus (TM), and 211% increase in bending modulus (BM) relative to pure polymer film. The gel content values were also found to increase with the increase of jute content in the composite. But the elongation at break (Eb) for both tensile and bending was found to decrease with increasing jute content. The best mechanical properties were obtained when jute fibers were pre-irradiated with UV radiation, such as 150% increase in TS, 90% increase in BS relative to polymer film, 19% increase in TS, and 15% increase in BS relative to untreated jute-based composites. A water uptake behavior investigation of the resulting composites was also performed and composites based on UV-treated jute showed the minimum water uptake value.     

Treatment of ramie fiber with different techniques: the influence of diammonium phosphate on interfacial adhesion properties of ramie fiber-reinforced polylactic acid composite

Ramie fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites were successfully prepared by hot compression molding. Different treatment techniques were used to modify the surface of ramie fiber. The influence of diammonium phosphate (DAP) on the interfacial adhesion between ramie fiber and PLA composites was investigated by the contact angle measurements, FTIR and SEM analyses. The contact angle measurement results showed that alkali treatment combined with DAP was very efficient in decreasing the hydrophilicity of fibers. After treatment, the hydrophilicity of untreated ramie fiber from 5.9 ± 1.3 decreased to 2.0 ± 0.8 mJ/m². The wettability of alkali/silane/DAP-treated ramie fiber/PLA composite was higher (95.4° ± 1.3°) than that of pure ramie fiber/PLA composite (87.3° ± 1.9°). The FTIR results were consistent with the wetting measurements as the increment of hydrophilicity. Thermal analysis indicated that DAP-modified ramie fiber/PLA composites exhibited a lower thermal decomposition temperature, unique decomposition behavior and more residual char formation at decomposition temperature. The tensile, flexural and impact properties of DAP-modified ramie fiber composites were comparable to those of untreated ramie fiber composite. Moreover, proper alignment and uniform distribution of ramie fibers within the PLA matrix were found to be excellent. The morphological structures observed by SEM showed that well-modified ramie fibers enhanced the failure of the PLA composites in tensile, flexural and impact tests.     

Effect of rare earth elements' surface treatment on tensile properties and microstructure of glass fiber–reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene composites

Three types of surface modifiers, N‐β‐aminoethyl‐γ‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane coupling agent (SGS), a mixture of silane and rare earth elements (SGS/RES), and rare earth elements surface modifier (RES), were used to treat the glass fiber surface. Tensile tests of glass fiber–reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (GF/PTFE) composites with different surface treatment conditions, surface modifiers, and glass fiber content were carried out. Finally, the fracture surface morphologies of GF/PTFE composites were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Experimental results show that the tensile properties of the treated GF/PTFE composite increased compared with those of the untreated one. RES is superior to SGS/RES and SGS modifiers in promoting interfacial adhesion between the glass fiber and PTFE because of the effects of rare earth elements on the compatibility. Meanwhile, the optimum contents of rare earth elements for the improvement of the tensile properties of GF/PTFE composite were obtained for RES and SGS/RES modifiers. The interfacial adhesion of the GF/PTFE composites treated with RES or SGS/RES modifiers was mainly controlled by the contents of rare earth elements. The tensile properties of the GF/PTFE composites improved considerably when the content of rare earth elements in surface modifiers was 0.2–0.4 wt %, and the optimum tensile performance of GF/PTFE composites was obtained at 0.3 wt % RE content. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1667–1672, 2002     

Chitosan as Scaffold Materials: Effects of Molecular Weight and Degree of Deacetylation

In this study, we investigated in vitro the role of the degree of deacetylation and molecular weight on some biological properties of chitosan films. The influence of different degree of deacetylation and molecular weight of chitosan on the hydrophilicity, degradation, mechanical properties and biocompatibility were evaluated. The results showed that the degree of deacetylation affected the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of the chitosan films. The molecular weight, on the other hand, affected the rate of degradation and the mechanical properties. Chitosan with higher degree of deacetylation and molecular weight was more suitable for tissue engineering applications. Alginate could be added into chitosan to modify the rigidity and hydrophilicity of chitosan. Higher hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and elongation were found after modification.     

Reinforcement effect of poly (methyl methacrylate)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">g</Emphasis>-cellulose nanofibers on LDPE/thermoplastic starch composites: preparation and characterization

The effect of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and poly [methyl methacrylate (MMA)]-grafted cellulose nanofibers (CNF-g-PMMA) on mechanical properties and degradability of a 75/25 low density polyethylene/thermoplastic starch (LDPE/TPS) blend was investigated. Graft copolymerization on CNFs was performed in an aqueous suspension by free radical polymerization using MMA as an acrylic monomer. In addition, a LDPE/TPS blend was reinforced by different amounts of CNFs (1–5 wt%) and CNF-g-PMMA (1–7 wt%) using a twin-screw extruder. A 61% grafting of PMMA on the surface of CNFs was demonstrated by gravimetric analysis. Moreover, after modification the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a 20% increase of carbon atoms on the surface of CNFs and a 22.6% decrease in the oxygen content of its surface. The mechanical properties of the CNFs-modified composites were significantly improved compared to the unmodified nanocomposites. The highest tensile strength and Young’s modulus were obtained for the composites reinforced by 3 and 7 wt% CNF-g-PMMA, respectively. The degradability of cellulose nanocomposites was studied by water absorption and soil burial tests. Surface modification of CNFs lowered water absorption, and soil burial test of the LDPE/TPS blend showed improvement in biodegradability by addition of CNF-g-PMMA.     

Trisilanolphenyl-POSS nano-hybrid poly(biphenyl dianhydride-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-phenylenediamine) polyimide composite films: miscibility and structure-property relationship

A partially condensed polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) compound, trisilanolphenyl-POSS (TSP-POSS) was prepared via a modified two-step procedure with phenyltrichlorosilane as the starting material. The solubility of the TSP-POSS in polyimide (PI) solvents, including N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) was first evaluated. TSP-POSS could be dissolved in the test solvents with a solid concentration higher than 50 wt% and the obtained solution was stable both at room temperatures and in refrigerator at -18 °C for more than 1 month. TSP-POSS was then physically blended with a poly(amic acid) (PAA) obtained from 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BPDA) and para-phenylenediamine (PDA) with various adding proportions of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt% (TSP-POSS in total solids). The obtained clear and homogeneous PAA/TSP-POSS solution was then thermally imidized at elevated temperatures to afford six PI/TSP-POSS composite films (PI-BP-0~PI-BP-25). For comparison, analogous composite films were prepared by blending TSP-POSS with another PI matrix, poly(pyromellitic anhydride-oxydianiline) (PI_PMDA-ODA) at the same hybrid proportion (PI-0~PI-25). TSP-POSS exhibited quite different miscibility with these two PI matrixes. All of the composite films based on PI_PMDA-ODA and TSP-POSS showed homogeneous nature and the films were optically transparent even at the high POSS loading of 25 wt%; however, the PI_BPDA-PDA analogues showed poor compatibility with the POSS additive when the adding proportion was over 10 wt%. PI-BP-20 and PI-BP-25 films were thoroughly opaque with the haze values of 100%. In addition, the residual weight ratio of the composite films at 760 °C in nitrogen increased from 62.0 wt% (PI-BP-0) to 74.1 wt% (PI-BP-25).