Structure-property relationships for nano-porous poly(methyl-silsesquioxane) films with low-dielectric constants prepared via organic/inorganic polymer hybrids

The results for the structures and dielectric properties of nano-porous poly(methyl-silsesquioxane) (PMSSQ) films prepared via thermal decomposition of poly(caprolactone) (PCL) porogens in the PCL/PMSSQ polymer hybrids are presented. The nano-scale polymer hybrids are generated in-situ by heating homogeneous mixtures of methyl-silsesquioxanes (MSSQ) prepolymers with hydroxy-terminated star-shaped PCL to ca. 250 °C: this initial heating causes polymerization and cross-linking of MSSQ, resulting in phase-separated PCL/PMSSQ hybrids and vitrification of PMSSQ matrix. Subsequent heating to 430 °C causes the thermal decomposition of PCL to produce nano-porous PMSSQ films.