Decomposition and Ageing of Hybrid Materials with POSS

The use of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSs), as reinforcing agent for making polymer composites and nanocomposites, recorded an exponential grown in the last two decades. Differently to the other most used fillers POSSs are molecules, thus combining their nanosized cage structures that have dimensions comparable with those of most polymer segments and a particular and exclusive chemical composition. These characteristics linked with their hybrid (inorganic–organic) nature allow the researchers to obtain multifunctional materials with intermediate properties between those of organic polymers and ceramics. In this chapter, the most common POSS–polymer composites, namely epoxies, polypropylene, polystyrene, polylactide, polyimides and polyurethane, were analysed in their thermal behaviour.