Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Concentration Research Articles

Evaluation of the Mechanical Strength and Cell Adhesion Capacity of POSS Doped PVA/CMC Hernia Patch.

Peritoneal adhesion typically occurs in applications such as abdominal, pelvic, and vascular surgery. It is necessary to develop a mechanical barrier to prevent adhesion. In this study, a novel biomaterial as a mechanical barrier is developed by combining polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), doped with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) to prevent peritoneal adhesion. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods reveal that POSS nanoparticles in the PVA matrix disrupted the intramolecular hydroxyl groups and structure of the crystal region. Electron microscopy (EM) images reveal that high concentrations of POSS (2wt.%) cause irregular clustering in the composite matrix. As the concentration of POSS increases in the matrix, the degradation of the membranes increases, and protein adhesion decreases. In vitro cytotoxicity tests show a toxic effect on cells for PVA/CMC composite membranes, while on the other hand, the addition of POSS increases cell viability. According to the MMT test the POSS decreases cell adhesion of membranes. When comparing the POSS doped membrane to the undoped PVA/CMC membrane, an increase in the total antioxidant level and a decrease in the total oxidant level is observed.

Pyrolysis and thermal degradation studies of non-isocyanate polyurethanes modified by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes

This work reports on the thermal properties of non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) obtained via the polyaddition reaction of polyether diamine with five membered tri(cyclic carbonate) by using a prepolymerization method. The non-isocyanate polyurethanes were further chemically modified by trifunctional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) - triglycidylisobutyl POSS (3epPOSS), resulting in hybrid composite materials containing 5 to 15 wt% POSS. Thermal properties of the obtained materials were studied by various methods, such as Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Pyrolysis with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), and Microscale Combustion Calorimetry (MCC), and were later discussed in dependence of their composition and structure assessed by Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. FTIR spectra confirm the successful synthesis of NIPUs and their hybrids with POSS. The results of XRD and SEM revealed homogeneous distribution of silsesquioxane in the bulk of the NIPU matrix. Depending on the POSS concentration in the PU hybrids, various self-assembling structures were formed. TGA analysis indicated a two- and three-step degradation process of NIPU materials in inert and oxidative atmospheres, respectively. Significantly higher degradation temperatures and a remarkably reduced degradation rate for composite materials compared to unmodified NIPU matrix were observed during the second degradation step under an oxidative atmosphere. Based on the overall stabilization effect (OSE), hybrids containing 10 and 15 wt% of 3epPOSS were more thermally stable than the unmodified NIPU matrix. Py-GC/MS demonstrated that the products of NIPU thermal decomposition originate from hydroxyurethane moieties, main substrate core structures, and others, such as catalysts. Incorporation of 3epPOSS into the NIPU matrix decreases its flammability, as evidenced by the results of the MCC, with a nearly 20 % reduction effect noted for the composite with of 15 wt% of POSS, compared to the unmodified NIPU matrix. Importantly, chemical modification of NIPU by POSS caused a reduction of the heat of combustion in the final stage of degradation by ca. 30 %.

Chitosan/POSS Hybrid Hydrogels for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Hybrid hydrogels composed of chitosan (CS) have shown great potential in bone tissue engineering and regeneration. The introduction of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) in the biopolymeric matrix has been demonstrated to improve the rheological and biological properties of the hybrid composites. In this work, we have integrated the favourable features of chitosan (CS) and POSS nanoparticles to design new nanocomposites for bone tissue regeneration, focusing our attention on the effect of POSS concentration within the CS matrix (0.5, 1, and 1.5 equivalents in weight of POSS with respect to CS) on the chemical, physical, rheological, and in vitro biological properties of the final composites. The drug release ability of the synthesized hydrogel scaffolds were also investigated using, as the model drug, ketoprofen, that was included in the scaffold during the gelling procedure, showing a more controlled release for the hybrids with respect to CS (86-91% of drug released after two weeks). The results of the in vitro biological tests performed on human fetal osteoblastic cells (hFOB 1.19) culture demonstrated the great biocompatibility of the hybrid materials. The hybrids, at the different POSS concentrations, showed values of cell mortality superimposable with control cells (11.1 vs. 9.8%), thus revealing the CS/POSS hydrogels as possible candidates for bone tissue engineering applications.

Physicomechanical and cellular behavior of 3D printed polycaprolactone/poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) scaffold containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and extracellular matrix nanoparticles for cartilage tissue engineering

AbstractThe common disease of articular cartilage is osteoarthritis, which can be diagnosed with the degradation of the articular cartilage a well as formation of osteophytes, subchondral sclerosis, synovial inflammation and ultimate loss of joint function. Due to the lack of articular cartilage regeneration as well as shortage of appropriate treatment, tissue engineering has been widely used to fabricate hybrid scaffolds for supporting cartilage tissue regeneration using 3D fabrication and design techniques. In this study a 3D scaffold was designed using polycaprolactone (PCL)/poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) biomaterial inks. Moreover, in order to achieve mechanical consistency and optimize the printing process, different concentrations of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles including 0, 3 and 5 (% w/v) were added. The cartilage derived extracellular matrix (ECM) particles were used as the filler to improve hydrophilicity, optimal porosity formation, optimal mechanical properties and print resolution. The samples were evaluated in terms of morphology, thermal properties, physicochemical structure, hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, biodegradation as well as thermal and cell culture study. Results showed that the compressive modulus of the PCL/PLGA/20%ECM/3%POSS 3D printed scaffolds was higher than other scaffolds. By adding 20% (w/w) ECM to the basic biomaterial ink viscosity of the biomaterial ink, porosity and water uptake were increased significantly. The 3D printed scaffold containing PCL/PLGA/5%POSS/20%ECM components demonstrated high biocompatibility as well as cell viability. Therefore, it was concluded that 3% POSS accompanying 20% ECM addition was the most suitable bioink composition for fabricating the most biocompatible and applicable scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering applications.

Oil foams stabilized by POSS/organosilica particle assemblies: application for aerobic oxidation of aromatic alcohols.

A novel amphiphilic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) with surfactant-like behavior was synthesized. By combining this new POSS, used as a frother, with surface-active catalytic organosilica particles, used as a stabilizer, we designed a dual particle system able to generate foams in pure organic solvents. Tunable foamability and foam stability were achieved in a variety of organic solvents by simply adjusting the POSS concentration. As a result, the catalytic activity was drastically boosted in the aerobic oxidation of pure aromatic alcohols under 1 bar O2 pressure. Particles were conveniently recycled with high foamability and the catalytic efficiency was maintained for at least 7 consecutive runs.

Hybrid nanocomposites of elastomeric polyurethane containing halloysite nanotubes and POSS nanoparticles: tensile, hardness, damping and abrasion performance

AbstractThermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix was reinforced with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and halloysite nanotubes (HNT), both separately and combined. Composite samples were fabricated using a melt-compounding method. Characterization of the composites obtained was performed via tensile and hardness tests, melt-flow index measurements (MFI), abrasion tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the mechanical performance, flow behaviour, tribological characteristics, thermo-mechanical response and morphological properties. The greatest tensile strength value was obtained for the smallest HNT content. Further addition of HNT resulted in agglomerations for both POSS and HNT particles. The shore hardness of TPU was enhanced by filler inclusions. The TPU/POSS composites displayed significant improvement in terms of abrasion resistance compared to TPU at lower loading levels. The DMA study showed that composites containing 0.5% POSS and 1.0% HNT displayed the greatest storage modulus. The glass-transition temperature of TPU shifted to smaller values with the addition of both nanoparticles. The HNT inclusions increased the MFI value of TPU because of their large aspect ratio. Homogeneous mixing of nanoparticles in the TPU matrix was confirmed by a SEM study of the composites. Their dispersion decreased as the concentrations of POSS and HNT increased. An adjuvant effect of POSS with HNT was achieved in their hybrid composites.

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Incorporated Gelatin Hydrogel Promotes Angiogenesis during Vascularized Bone Regeneration.

Many approaches have been made toward the development of scaffolds with good biocompatibility and appreciable physicochemical properties to facilitate stem cell adhesion, osteogenic differentiation, and vascularization in tissue engineering. Nowadays, vascularization is a main bottleneck in tissue engineering strategies that is needed to be overcome and developed. Herein, we construct a series of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-modified porous gelatin hydrogels with different POSS concentrations from 0 to 5 wt %, defined as X% POSS hydrogels (X = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) to support vascularized bone repair. The introduction of POSS into gelatin effectively promoted adhesive protein adsorption and integrin α5β1 expression, subsequently leading to enhanced adhesion of both rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vitro experiments further demonstrated that POSS-containing hybrid hydrogels more effectively support the angiogenic tube and network formation in HUVECs than the 0% POSS hydrogel. Besides, POSS-containing hybrid hydrogels showed desirable performance as a sustained release system of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and they further accelerated vascular network establishment and the formation of a new bone in defect regions. When the hydrogels were implanted into critical-sized rat calvarial defects in vivo, the VEGF/BMP-2-coupled 3% POSS group gained a higher blood vessel volume in the bone defect regions (5.49 ± 0.35 mm3) than the 3% POSS group (3.12 ± 0.20 mm3) and the 0% POSS group (1.57 ± 0.25 mm3), suggesting that the 3% POSS hydrogel with VEGF/BMP-2 would expedite vascularization. Based on these evaluations, our results indicated that the POSS-incorporated gelatin hydrogel would provide a promising bone graft scheme in potential clinical application of large bone defect repair.

The Use of POSS-Based Nanoadditives for Cable-Grade PVC: Effects on its Thermal Stability.

Plasticized–Poly(vinyl chloride) (P-PVC) for cables and insulation requires performances related to outdoor, indoor and submarine contexts and reduction of noxious release of HCl-containing fumes in case of thermal degradation or fire. Introducing suitable nanomaterials in polymer-based nanocomposites can be an answer to this clue. In this work, an industry-compliant cable-grade P-PVC formulation was added with nanostructured materials belonging to the family of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS). The effects of the nanomaterials, alone and in synergy with HCl scavenging agents as zeolites and hydrotalcites, on the thermal stability and HCl evolution of P-PVC were deeply investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and reference ASTM methods. Moreover, hardness and mechanical properties were studied in order to highlight the effects of these additives in the perspective of final industrial uses. The data demonstrated relevant improvements in the thermal stability of the samples added with nanomaterials, already with concentrations of POSS down to 0.31 phr and interesting additive effects of POSS with zeolites and hydrotalcites for HCl release reduction without losing mechanical performances.

Photoelectric properties of ABA‐type triblock copolymers designed using fluorine‐containing polyimide macroinitiators with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

4,4′‐(Hexafluoro‐isopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride‐2,3,5,6‐tetramethyl‐1,4‐phenylenediamine (6FDA‐TeMPD) was synthesized and reacted with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) to form an ABA‐type triblock copolymer by atom transfer radical polymerization. The solid‐state and optical properties of the resulting copolymers were systematically investigated, and their electronic states were analyzed. As the POSS concentration increased, the transparency across the entire wavelength range increased. In the ABA‐type triblock copolymers, a new transition was observed between the highest occupied molecular orbital in POSS and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in 6FDA‐TeMPD because of their high molecular size dispersion. Since the refractive index of 6FDA‐TeMPD decreased linearly as the POSS concentration increased, the refractive index of the ABA‐type triblock copolymers of 6FDA‐TeMPD with POSS could be easily controlled. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:1207–1213, 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

Effect of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) derivative on the morphology, thermal, mechanical and surface properties of poly(lactic acid)-based nanocomposites

In this study, poly(l-lactic acid)/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane derivatives nanocomposites (PLLA/POSS) were prepared using solution casting. Three different POSS molecules, two amino-POSS derivatives with different nonreactive organic substituents attached to the corner silicon atoms (aminopropylheptaisobutyl-POSS, APIBPOSS, and aminopropylheptaisooctyl-POSS, APIOPOSS) and a PLLA-g-POSS organic–inorganic hybrid (PIOPOSS-PLLA), were used in order to investigate the effect of POSS type and concentration on the morphology and properties of PLLA/POSS nanocomposites. The morphological, thermal, mechanical, and surface properties were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis, tensile experiments, and water contact angle measurements. XRD data evidenced the formation of APIBPOSS crystalline aggregates at POSS contents higher than 2 wt%. TEM results showed self-assembled POSS molecules of sub-micrometer size homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix, the shape and size of which depended on the POSS type and concentration. The largest aggregates were formed in PLLA/APIOPOSS blends and the smallest ones in PLLA/PIOPOSS-PLLA blends, increasing the size with increasing the POSS concentration. DSC analysis showed that POSS derivatives acted as plasticizers lowering the glass transition temperature of PLLA, the role of amino-POSS derivatives as nucleating agents for PLLA and the presence of double melting peaks for the PLLA/amino-POSS nanocomposites. The thermo-oxidative stability of the nanocomposites improved, while there was no significant change in thermal stability. The presence of POSS increased the Young’s modulus and the yield point, while decreasing the elongation at break. The incorporation of APIBPOSS and PIOPOSS-PLLA increased the tensile strength. The addition of POSS nanoparticles enhanced the surface hydrophobicity of PLLA. .

Porous POSS-PANI nanofibre from interfacial polymerization and hydrothermal approach

Nowadays, novel applications for polyaniline (PANI) make new demands on its morphology controlling, and designing novel PANI or PANI composite polymeric materials has been more and more attractive. In this work, octaaminophenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was employed to prepare nanostructured PANI composites via controlled fabrication. By interfacial copolymerization, fibrous nanostructure was obtained. The size and morphology of this structure was adjusted by changing POSS to OAPS ratio: the size increased from about 20 to 200 nm when the molar ratio of POSS in the composites increased from 0.5 to 2.0 mol %. More importantly, further hydrothermal treatment for the samples with higher POSS concentration resulted in mesoporous structure on a more microscopic scale, which helps to improve the thermal stability. In the total synthesis, POSS played an important role in the morphology controlling of the composites.

Ultraviolet resistance modification of poly(p‐phenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) and poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) fibers with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

ABSTRACTOcta‐ammonium chloride salt of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was synthesized by a hydrolysis reaction and introduced into poly(p‐phenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) (p‐POD) and poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers by a finishing method to enhance the UV resistance. The effects of the POSS concentration, treatment temperature, and time on the tensile strength of the fibers were investigated. The surface morphology, mechanical properties, crystallinity, degree of orientation of fibers, and intrinsic viscosity of the polymer solution were characterized in detail. The results indicate that the tensile strength retention and intrinsic viscosity retention of the fibers treated with POSS were much higher than those of the untreated fibers after the same accelerated irradiation time; this demonstrated that this treatment method was feasible. We also found that the efficacy of the protection provided by POSS was more beneficial to p‐POD than PPTA because of the different structure. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42643.

Liquid Crystal Microlens Using Nanoparticle‐Induced Vertical Alignment

The nanoparticle‐induced vertical alignment (NIVA) of the nematic liquid crystals (LC) is applied to achieve an adaptive flat LC microlens with hybrid‐aligned nematic (HAN) mode by dropping polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticle solution on a homogeneous alignment layer. The vertical alignment induced by the POSS nanoparticles resulted in the formation of a hybrid‐aligned LC layer with concentric nonuniform distribution of the refractive index in the planar LC cell, which subsequently played the role of the lens, even in the absence of any applied voltages. The dimensions of the concentric HAN structure significantly depend on the volume of the microdroplet and the POSS concentration. The focus effect of this flat microlens was observed while electrically controlling its focal length using the applied voltages from −50 mm to −90 mm.

Synthesis and thermal characterization of new dumbbell shaped POSS/PS nanocomposites: Influence of the symmetrical structure of the nanoparticles on the dispersion/aggregation in the polymer matrix

A series of three novel dumbbell shaped polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS)/ polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites, at different POSS contents (3%, 5% and 10% w/w), was synthesized and characterized in order to investigate the effects of this new bridged structure on the filler‐polymer interaction and then on the thermal behavior of the obtained polymer nanostructured materials (PNMs). Nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization of styrene and the actual POSS concentration in the obtained PNMs was checked by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR spectroscopy evidenced, at the same time, the presence of filler‐polymer interactions and auto‐aggregation phenomena. Degradations were carried out into a thermobalance, in the scanning mode, at various heating rates in both inert and oxidative atmospheres. The characteristic parameters of thermal stability, namely temperature at 5% mass loss and the apparent activation energy of degradation, for the various nanocomposites were determined and an increase in the initial decomposition temperatures of PNMs with increasing the POSS contents was observed. The results are discussed and interpreted. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1394–1400, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

Rheological study of the gelation of cross-linking polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS)/PU composites

The gelation process of N-Phenylaminomethyl-POSS/PU (polyurethane) nanocomposites during curing and at the stable state after curing was investigated by rheology. An increase in dynamic shear moduli, G′ and G″, was observed during the dynamic temperature ramps of the sample. In time-resolved mechanical spectroscopy (TRMS), G′ and G″ increased with curing time at constant curing temperatures over a wide of frequencies. The gelation time of the composites decreased with the rise of curing temperature or with the increase of POSS concentration. The relaxation exponent n at the critical gel was around 0.73. The gel stiffness S decreased as curing temperature increased or as POSS concentration increased. After the completion of the curing reaction, the critical concentration of POSS beyond which the gelation of POSS/PU composites would happen was found around 2.5 wt%. The viscoelastic properties of crosslinking POSS/PU fitted time–temperature-superposition well which implied the incorporation of multifunctional POSS into PU increased the homogeneity of crosslinking POSS/PU composites. Surprisingly, the modulus of the fully cured materials between 2.7 wt% and 6 wt% could also be supposed onto a master curve at high temperature, which implied self-similarity of network near the critical gel. The similar microstructure of POSS/PU at stable state was also confirmed by TEM. The network formation mechanism and the fine structure of the crosslinking POSS/PU were firstly investigated which would provide technical and theoretical basis for other hybrid crosslinking systems.

In situ photocrosslinkable nanohybrids based on poly(ε-caprolactone fumarate)/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane: synthesis and characterization

Two types of biodegradable, in situ photocrosslinkable macromers were synthesized consisting a linear copolyester i.e., PCLF based on fumaric acid (FA) and poly(e-caprolactone diol) (PCL diol), and its nanohybrid counterpart (POSS-PCLF) composed of FA, PCL diol and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). Chemical structure of the macromers was characterized by 1HNMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The synthesized macromers were photocrosslinked by visible light irradiation in the presence of camphorquinone and N,N’-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate as a photoinitiator and accelerator, respectively. Photocrosslinking characteristics of the compositions were investigated as a function of the initial PCL diol molecular weight, presence of POSS nanoparticles or N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP, as a reactive diluent) by tracing degree of conversion by FTIR spectroscopy, equilibrium swelling studies. Thermal and dynamical properties of the macromers and the resulting networks were studied by TGA, DSC and DMA techniques pre- and post-photocrosslinking. In contrast to the self-crosslinkability of the macromers, the crosslinking reaction was promoted more efficiently in the presence of NVP as a reactive diluent. This scrutiny showed that there is an optimum point for POSS concentration to obtain the maximum improvement in the network properties.

Hybrid networks based on poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) and N-phenylaminomethyl POSS

Novel PSMA-POSS nanocomposites were prepared, in which N-phenylaminomethyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was conducted as crosslink agent to incorporate to poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMA). POSS was introduced by one-step reactive solution blend in amounts of 1–30 wt%. FTIR measurement evidenced the occurrence of amidation reaction between the anhydride group of PSMA and the secondary amino group of POSS. This reaction turned out to promote POSS well dispersed in the polymer matrix, and the PSMA-POSS hybrids showed no macro phase separation even if POSS concentration was up to 30 wt%. DSC results showed that the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased to 168 °C with the increase of POSS loading. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) revealed the storage modulus at high temperature increased with the addition of POSS due to the formation of a permanent network. Incorporation of POSS also improved the thermal properties of PSMA-POSS composites.

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS)-Containing Polymer Nanocomposites.

Hybrid materials with superior structural and functional properties can be obtained by incorporating nanofillers into polymer matrices. Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles have attracted much attention recently due to their nanometer size, the ease of which these particles can be incorporated into polymeric materials and the unique capability to reinforce polymers. We review here the state of POSS-containing polymer nanocomposites. We discuss the influence of the incorporation of POSS into polymer matrices via chemical cross-linking or physical blending on the structure of nanocomposites, as affected by surface functional groups, and the POSS concentration.

Morphology, crystallization, thermal, and mechanical properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) films filled with different concentrations of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

AbstractNanocomposites consisting of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix and 0–8 wt% fluoropropyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (FP‐POSS) were obtained through the solvent evaporation method. Morphology, crystallization, as well as thermal and mechanical properties were investigated. FP‐POSS, acting as a nucleating agent, exhibited robust miscibility with PVDF, enhancing the crystallinity of PVDF. A high relative fraction of the β phase was observed in the composites. The thermal degradation of PVDF was not significantly affected by FP‐POSS under a nitrogen atmosphere. Low addition of FP‐POSS, acting as nanofiller, led to remarkable improvement in mechanical properties, including hardness. The maximum was achieved at 3 wt%. High amounts led to inferior mechanical properties. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

Synthesis and characterization of epoxy modified cyanate ester POSS nanocomposites

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) viz; namely, Octa functional silsesquioxanes [octa amino (OAPS) and octa glycidyl (OG)] reinforced epoxy modified cyanate ester nanocomposites were prepared through intercrosslinked network. The intercrosslinking formation between cyanate ester and POSS was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphology of nanocomposites was studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy techniques. The electrical properties of the nanocomposites were evaluated by impedance analyzer. The influences of POSS macromer on the thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy modified cyanate ester nanocomposites were also addressed. The thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites increases with increasing percentage of both types of POSS macromer. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss are decreased with increasing POSS concentration in the epoxy modified cyanate ester nanocomposites.