Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS)-Modified Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Nanocomposites: A Review

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles have been successfully incorporated into thermoplastic and thermoset polymers via copolymerization, grafting, blending, surface bonding, or other transformations. A great promise in the development of a wide range of POSS-containing nanocomposites with diversely improved properties has been displayed. Thermal properties, viscoelastic properties, mechanical strengths, dielectric constants, surface hydrophobicity and flame-retardancy of the nanocomposites are easily varied to target properties by adjusting POSS structure, crosslink density, processing condition, etc. Investigations on the effects of POSS molecular geometry, composition, and concentration on physical and mechanical properties of resultant POSS-modified thermoplastic and thermosetting nanocomposites have been carefully reviewed in this article.