Two ladder-like polysilsesquioxanes (LPS) containing side-chain maleimide groups have been synthesized successfully by reacting N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)maleimide (HPM) with LPS containing 100 mol % of chloropropyl groups (Ladder A) and 50 mol % of each methyl and chloropropyl group (Ladder B). HPM was synthesized by reacting maleic anhydride with 4-aminophenol, and the resulting amic acid was imidized using p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst (Scheme 1). The LPSs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), proton-decoupled C-13 NMR, Si-29 NMR, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Characterization indicated that these polymers had ordered ladder-like structures with possible defects. These polymers were soluble in common solvents at ambient temperature, which suggested that they were not crosslinked. Both the polymers and the HPM were cured, and their kinetics were followed by dynamic DSC. The Ozawa and Kissinger methods were used to calculate activation energies for curing. Curing increased the temperature at which both 5% weight loss and maximum rate of weight loss were observed. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.