A series of polymer-clay nanocomposite materials, consisting of organo-soluble polyimide (ODABSAA) matrix and dispersed nanolayers of inorganic montmorillonite clay, were successfully prepared by solution dispersion technique and subsequently characterized by FTIR, powder X-ray diffraction patterns, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Effects of the materials composition on the corrosion protection performance, gas barrier, and optical properties, in the form of both coating and film, were also studied by electrochemical corrosion measurements (e.g., corrosion potential, polarization resistance, corrosion current, impedance spectroscopy), gas permeability analysis, and UV-visible transmission spectroscopy, respectively. (C) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.