Reactive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (R-POSS) containing multi-N-methylol is a functional and attractive staring monomer for new reinforcement materials. R-POSS has excellent potential as a nanosized core for starburst dendrimers and highly reactive multi-N-methylol. R-POSS can be used for cellulose fabric finishing to improve its shape-memory performance. Factors affecting the crosslinking reaction of the cellulose with R-POSS were investigated. The physical properties and morphological structure of the cellulose fabrics modified with R-POSS are discussed with respect to the crease recovery angle, the whiteness index, micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the crease recovery angle of the fabric modified with R-POSS obviously increased. With increasing R-POSS concentration, the crease recovery angle of the modified fabric sharply increased. R-POSS readily crosslinked to cellulose and improved the elastic recovery of the cellulose fabrics. The surfaces of the cellulose fibers modified with R-POSS were smooth and full. The inclusion of R-POSS with dimethylol dihydroxyl ethylene urea to modify the cellulose showed very interesting results. It showed a good combination of an increase of crease recovery angle and a decrease in tensile strength. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1872-1877, 2010