The Catalytic Curing Reaction and Mechanical Properties of a New Composite Resin Matrix Material for Rocket Fuel Storage Tanks

Abstract

In this paper, an equimolar blend of bisphenol A dipropargyl ether and cyanate ester was selected to study the effect of different catalysts on the curing reaction of a bisphenol A dipropargyl ether and cyanate ester blended resin system, and the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the catalytically cured blended resin system were investigated. Acetylacetone salts of transition metals and dibutyl ditin laurate reduced the curing temperature of bisphenol AF-type di cyanate ester, and copper acetylacetonate at a mass fraction of 0.3% significantly reduced the curing temperature of bisphenol AF-type di cyanate ester to less than 473 K. Bisphenol A dipropargyl ether pr-polymerized and equimolarly blended with bisphenol A di cyanate ester and bisphenol E-type di cyanate ester also cured below 473 K under the same conditions. Among the cured compounds of the blended resins of bisphenol A dipropargyl ether with bisphenol AF-type di cyanate ester, bisphenol A-type di cyanate ester and bisphenol E-type di cyanate ester, the blended resins of bisphenol A-type di cyanate ester and bisphenol E-type di cyanate ester have better overall performance. The residual rate of 873 K in air was 38%, and the flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength were 129.4 MPa, 4.3 GPa, and 27.3 kJ·m−2, respectively. This kind of blended resin is expected to be used in the liquid oxygen storage tanks of rockets.