Improvements in transmittance, mechanical properties and thermal stability of silica–polyimide composite films by a novel sol–gel route

Sol–gel process has been frequently employed for preparation of silica/polyimide composite films. In this article, a novel sol–gel route is introduced to prepare silica (SiO2)/polyimide (PI) (PS2 system) composite films and to enhance the compatibility between the polyimide and silica. The transmittance, mechanical properties, thermal stability, and morphology of the PS2 composites are studied and compared with the PS1 films prepared by the traditional sol–gel route. The results show that the transmittance, mechanical properties and thermal stability of the PS2 composites are significantly improved especially at high silica contents when compared with those of their counterparts prepared by the traditional sol–gel route. This is explained in terms of the silica particle size and dispersion in the two composites. In addition, the effect of silica particle size on the thermal expansion of silica/PI films is also examined.