Tailoring the toughness and CTE of high temperature bisphenol E cyanate ester (BECy) resin

Abstract

The objective of the present work is to enhancing the toughness and minimizing the CTE of a special class of bisphenol E cyanate ester (BECy) resin by blending it with a thermoplastic toughening agent. Poly(ether sulfone) was chosen as a high temperature resistant thermoplastic resin to enhance the thermo-mechanical properties of BECy. The influence of poly(ether sulfone)/BECy blend composition on the morphology and phase behavior was studied using scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis. The mechanical properties of the blends were evaluated by flexural tests, which demonstrated significant enhancement in the material’s toughness with an increase in PES concentration from 0 to 15 wt%. The coefficient of thermal expansion of pure BECy was reduced from 61 to 48 ppm/°C in the blends with PES, emphasizing the multi-functional benefits of PES as a toughening agent in BECy.

Keywords

• Thermosetting resins
• bisphenol E cyanate ester
• polymer matrix composites
• injection repair
• polymer blends and alloys