Surface silvered polyimide (PI)/Fe2O(3) composite films with both superparamagnetic and surface electrically conductive properties have been fabricated by an in situ technique. Iron (III) 2,4-pentanedionate was incorporated into a PI precursor poly(amic acid) solution and thermally decomposed to form iron oxide nanoparticles in the process of thermal imidization, preparing PI/Fe(2)O(3) nanocomposite films. The establishment of a silver layer on the PI/Fe(2)O(3) film surface involved the steps of chemical etching by the alkaline aqueous solution, ion exchange with silver ions and chemical reduction by glucose. The formed Fe(2)O(3) particles of the nano scale endow the film with typical superparamagnetic response. By employing the etching time of only 10 min and a reduction time of no more than 15 min, the well-established silver layers have formed on the upside surface. The corresponding reflectivity and resistivity reached to the value of 76.15% and 0.7 Omega/square respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.