Ladder-like polyphenylsilsesquioxane has been synthesized by a convenient two-step approach and then modified to ladder-like poly(nitrophenyl)silsesquioxane (LPNPSQ) and poly(aminophenyl)silsesquioxane (LPAPSQ) by nitration and reduction reaction. These ladder-like polysilsesquioxanes (LPSQs) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results confirm the ladder-like structures of LPSQs and suggest the decrease of regularity after the chemical modification. Then high performance polyimide/ladder-like polysilsesquioxane (PI/LPSQ) hybrid films have been prepared by incorporating synthetic LPSQs with different functional groups into PI matrix, respectively, using conventional techniques. The interfacial interactions between PI matrix and LPSQ were investigated with XRD and scanning electron microscopy. Then the thermal and mechanical properties of the hybrid films were studied using dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile tests. The results indicate that different functional groups in LPSQs have great effects on the interfacial interactions and the properties of the hybrids. Both LPNPSQ and LPAPSQ can be dispersed uniformly in PI matrix because of the physical or chemical interaction between functional groups and PI. With these strong interfacial interactions. PI/LPNPSQ and PI/LPAPSQ hybrid films show higher glass transition temperatures and better mechanical properties. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.