Novel Polyimide-Clay-Siloxane Hybrids through Sol-gel process

A series of polyimide-clay-siloxane hybrid films with siloxane content up to 50% were successfully prepared by the sol-gel reaction of diethoxydimethylsilane (DEDMS) in the presence of poly(amic acid). XRD indicated that the organically modified montmorillonite(OMMT) layers were exfoliated and dispersed into the poly(amide acid) and polyimide film. The films were yellow and transparent when the siloxane content was up to 5%. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, viscoelastometer and stress-strain tests were used to measure the performance of the films. The results indicate that the inclusion of OMMT and siloxane improved the thermal and mechanical properties of polyimide films.