Ameliorated Mechanical and Dielectric Properties of Heat-Resistant Radome Cyanate Composites

In order to improve the mechanical and dielectric properties of radome cyanate, a synergistic reinforcement method is employed to develop a resin-based ternary-composite with high heat-resistance and preferable radar-band transmission, which is expected to be applied to fabricate radomes capable of resisting high temperature and strong electric field. According to copolymerization characteristics and self-curing mechanism, epoxy resin (EP) and bismaleimide (BMI) are employed as reinforcements mixed into a cyanate ester (CE) matrix to prepare CE/BMI/EP composites of a heat-resistant radome material by high-temperature viscous-flow blending methods under the catalysis of aluminum acetylpyruvate. The crystallization temperature, transition heat, and reaction rate of cured polymers were tested to analyze heat-resistance characteristics and evaluate material synthesis processes. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the micro-morphology of tensile fracture, which was combined with the tensile strength test and dynamic thermomechanical analysis to investigate the composite modifications on tenacity and rigidity. Weibull statistics were performed to analyze the experimental results of the dielectric breakdown field, and the dielectric-polarization and wave-transmission performances were investigated according to alternative current dielectric spectra. Compared with the pure CE and the CE composites individually reinforced by EP or BMI, the CE/BMI/EP composite acquires the most significant amelioration in both the mechanical and electrical insulation performances as indicated by the breaking elongation and dielectric breakdown strength being simultaneously improved by 40%, which are consistently manifested by the obviously increased transverse lines uniformly distributed on the fracture cross-section. Furthermore, the glass-transition temperature of CE/BMI/EP composite reaches the highest values of nearly 300 °C, with the relative dielectric constant and dielectric loss being mostly reduced to less than 3.2 and 0.01, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the CE/BMI/EP composite is a highly-qualified wave-transmission material with preferences in mechanical, thermostability, and electrical insulation performances, suggesting its prospective applications in low-frequency transmittance radomes.

The reaction of activated esters with epoxides for self-curable, highly flexible, A2B2- and A3B3-type epoxy compounds

To achieve high-T_g and low-dissipation epoxy thermosets, bis(2-methoxy-4-(oxiran-2-ylmethyl)phenyl)isophthalate (2) and tris(2-methoxy-4-(oxiran-2-ylmethyl)phenyl)benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (3) were prepared.

Synthesis, characterization, and cure chemistry of high performance phosphate cyanate ester resins

Three thermosetting cyanate ester resins with phosphate cores and potential fire-resistant applications have been synthesized and characterized. A trifunctional resin studied in this work (PhosCy3) has a T_g > 360 °C and a char yield of 67% in air.

Synthesis of a phosphinated tetracyanate ester and its miscible blend with 4,4′-oxydianiline/phenol-based benzoxazine

A phosphinated tetracyanate ester (4) was prepared and applied to copolymerize with a 4,4′-oxydianiline/phenol-based benzoxazine (P-oda) to enhance the properties of P-oda thermoset.

Mechanical and dielectric properties of blends of dicyanate ester and bisphenol A-based benzoxazine

Bisphenol A-based benzoxazine (BOZ) was blended with cyanate ester (CE) to improve the properties of cyanate resin. The effects of the content of BOZ on the mechanical property and dielectric property of the blends have been investigated. The results show that a suitable addition of BOZ can enhance the impact strength and flexural strength as well as reduce the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of CE. The mechanical properties are significantly improved when the content of BOZ is 10 wt%, and the dynamic mechanical analysis reveals that the cross-link density of the blend is lower than pure CE. Scanning electron microscopy analysis shows distinct characteristics of ductile fracture of the blends. In addition, the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of modified system decreases, compared with the curing CE. The optimal addition amount of BOZ resin is 15 wt% for the dielectric properties. The blend of a suitable addition of BOZ still remains a good thermal resistance. All these changes in properties are closely correlated to the copolymerization between BOZ and CE.

Synergistic physical properties of cocured networks formed from di- and tricyanate esters

The co-cyclotrimerization of two tricyanate ester monomers, Primaset PT-30 and 1,2,3-tris(4-cyanato)propane (FlexCy) in equal parts by weight with Primaset LECy, a liquid dicyanate ester, was investigated for the purpose of exploring synergistic performance benefits. The monomer mixtures formed stable, homogeneous blends that remained in the supercooled liquid state for long periods at room temperature, thereby providing many of the processing advantages of LECy in combination with significantly higher glass transition temperatures (315-360 °C at full cure) due to the presence of the tricyanate-derived segments in the conetwork. Interestingly, the glass transition temperatures of the conetworks after cure at 210 °C, at full cure, and after immersion in 85 °C water for 96 h were all higher than predicted by the Flory-Fox equation, most significantly for the samples immersed in hot water. Conetworks comprising equal parts by weight of PT-30 and LECy retained a "wet" glass transition temperature near 270 °C. The onset of thermochemical degradation for conetworks was dominated by that of the thermally less stable component, while char yields after the initial degradation step were close to values predicted by a linear rule of mixtures. Values for moisture uptake and density in the conetworks also showed behavior that was not clearly different from a linear rule of mixtures. An analysis of the flexural properties of catalyzed versions of these conetworks revealed that, when cured under the same conditions, conetworks containing 50 wt % PT-30 and 50 wt % LECy exhibited higher modulus than networks containing only LECy while conetworks containing 50 wt % FlexCy and 50 wt % LECy exhibited a lower modulus but significantly higher flexural strength and strain to failure. Thus, in the case of "FlexCy", LECy was copolymerized with a tricyanate that provided both improved toughness and a higher glass transition temperature.

Development of hexa (aminophenyl)cyclotriphosphazene-modified cyanate ester composites for high-temperature applications

The organic–inorganic hybrid of hexa(aminophenyl)cyclotriphosphazene (CPA) was synthesized by reacting hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene with 4-acetamidophenol followed by hydrolysis. The resulting product CPA was then allowed to react with 2,2-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)propane (cyanate ester) in different ratios (5, 10, and 15%) to form six-membered oxygen-linked triazine ring with formation of highly cross-linked network structure. Thermal curing behavior was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis and thermal properties were studied using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss were measured using impedance analyzer. Data resulted from different studies indicate that these hybrid composites can be used for high-performance thermal applications in the place of conventional cyanate esters for better performance.

Covalent cum noncovalent functionalizations of carbon nanotubes for effective reinforcement of a solution cast composite film

Although carbon nanotubes have impressive tensile properties, exploiting these properties in composites, especially those made by the common solution casting technique, seems to be elusive thus far. The reasons could be partly due to the poor nanotube dispersion and the weak nanotube/matrix interface. To solve this dual pronged problem, we combine noncovalent and covalent functionalizations of nanotubes in a single system by the design and application of a novel dispersant, hydroxyl polyimide-graft-bisphenol A diglyceryl acrylate (PI(OH)-BDA), and use them with epoxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (O-SWNTs). Our novel PI(OH)-BDA dispersant functionalizes the nanotubes noncovalently to achieve good dispersion of the nanotubes because of the strong π-π interaction due to main chain and steric hindrance of the BDA side chain. PI(OH)-BDA also functionalizes O-SWNTs covalently because it reacts with epoxide groups on the nanotubes, as well as the cyanate ester (CE) matrix used. The resulting solution-cast CE composites show 57%, 71%, and 124% increases in Young's modulus, tensile strength, and toughness over neat CE. These values are higher than those of composites reinforced with pristine SWNTs, epoxidized SWNTs, and pristine SWNTs dispersed with PI(OH)-BDA. The modulus and strength increase per unit nanotube weight fraction, i.e., dE/dW(NT) and dσ/dW(NT), are 175 GPa and 7220 MPa, respectively, which are significantly higher than those of other nanotube/thermosetting composites (22-70 GPa and 140-3540 MPa, respectively). Our study indicates that covalent cum noncovalent functionalization of nanotubes is an effective tool for improving both the nanotube dispersion and nanotube/matrix interfacial interaction, resulting in significantly improved mechanical reinforcement of the solution-cast composites.

Effect of chemical structure and network formation on physical properties of di(cyanate ester) thermosets

Key physical properties of three dicyanate ester monomers, bisphenol A dicyanate (BADCy), bisphenol E dicyanate (LECy), and the dicyanate of a silicon-containing analogue of bisphenol A (SiMCy) were investigated as a function of cyanurate conversion at conversions ranging from approximately 70% to greater than 90% in order to assess the range of applicability of both traditional and more unusual structure-property-process relationships known for cyanate ester resins. A more complete understanding of these relationships is essential for the continued development of cyanate ester resins and their composites for a wide variety of aerospace applications. The degree of cure in each system was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The degree of conversion achieved at a given temperature was dependent on the structure of the repeat unit, with SiMCy displaying the highest relative ease of cure. The density at room temperature was found to decrease monotonically with increasing conversion for all monomer types studied. In contrast, the water uptake decreased with increasing cure for all three materials over most or all of the conversion range studied, but leveled off or began to increase with increasing conversion at conversions of approximately 90%. The T(g) decreased after exposure to hot water in resins with greater than 85% conversion, but unexpectedly increased in samples with lower conversions. An investigation of the effect of hot water exposure on network chemistry via infrared spectroscopy indicated that carbamate formation varied with both monomer chemistry and extent of cure, but was greatest for the BADCy polycyanurates. On the other hand, the unreacted cyanate ester band tended to disappear uniformly, suggesting that reactions other than carbamate formation (such as cyclotrimerization) may also take place during exposure to hot water, possibly giving rise to the observed unusual increases in T(g) upon exposure.