Thermostable densely crosslinked cyanate ester resins (CER) with different chemical structures, derived from monomer dicyanate esters of bisphenol E (DCBE), bisphenol A (DCBA), hexafluorobisphenol A (6F-DCBA) or from cyanated phenol-formaldehyde oligomer PT-30, and the nanocomposites based thereon, with 0.01 to 10 wt% epoxycyclohexyl-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ECH-POSS), were synthesized and characterized by means of dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, far-infrared, and creep rate spectroscopy techniques. As shown, thermal and mechanical properties increased in a row of matrices prepared from DCBE < DCBA < 6F-DCBA < PT-30. Thus, these matrices with T g = 248, 275, 300, and~400°C (DMA, 1 Hz), respectively, had dynamic modulus E′ values of 1.8, 2.7-3.0, and 3.6 GPa at 20°C; high rigidity (dynamic modulus of about 1-2 GPa) retained at temperatures up to 200°C for DCBE matrix, 250°C for DCBA and 6F-DCBA matrices, but up to 380°C for PT-30-based matrix. The maximal effects from introducing ECH-POSS nanoparticles, covalently embedded into CER network, were attained mainly at their ultra-low contents (<<1 wt%); however, the ECH-POSS impact decreases in a row of matrices prepared from DCBE > DCBA > 6F-DCBA > PT-30. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords: cyanate ester resins; nanocomposites; synthesis; chemical structure; properties
INTRODUCTIONCyanate ester resins (CER) are an important class of high performance materials. Polycyclotrimerization of cyanate esters leads to formation of high-temperature thermosetting polymers, polycyanurates (PCN), of a high crosslink density with triazine cycles in network junctions. [1][2][3][4][5][6] They have received much attention because of their unique combination of properties including stability at temperatures up to 350-420°C, high glass transition temperature (≥250°C), high fire, radiation, and chemical resistance, low water absorption and low outgassing, high adhesion to different substrates, and excellent dielectric properties (ε ≈ 2.6-3.1).[2-5] As a result, CER are widely used as the structural or functional materials in aeronautics, space (composite strakes, fins, nose radomes, and heat shields), printed circuit boards, and as encapsulants, adhesives, etc.[7] Several commercial CER of different chemical structures are known.[3] As a result of polycyclotrimerization reaction, CER monomer transforms into polycyanurate network (Fig. 1). In case of high purity of the monomer, the polymer network with a regular 3D structure is formed, and the only difference of the chemical structure of the materials obtained from different CER is fragment R between the cyanurate junctions in the networks (Fig. 1). An influence of R fragment in polycyanurates on structure-properties relationships, changes in FTIR spectra, glass transition temperatures, T g , thermal or thermal oxidative degradation, T d , adhesion, and some mechanical properties can be understood from some reviews and books, [2][3][4] where the data on polycyanura...