Hybrid organic-inorganic thermoplastics : Styryl-based polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane polymers

A series of linear thermoplastic hybrid materials containing an organic polystyrene backbone and large inorganic silsesquioxane groups pendent to the polymer backbone have been synthesized and characterized. Our preliminary results indicate that the pendent inorganic groups drastically modify the thermal properties of the polystyrene and that interchain and/or intrachain oligomeric silsesquioxane interactions result in variations in solubility and thermal properties