Incorporating silica into cyanate ester-based network by sol-gel method: Structure and properties of subnano- and nanocomposites

• Main Authors: Bershtein, V., Fainleib, A., Kirilenko, D., Yakushev, P., Gusakova, K., Lavrenyuk, N., Ryzhov, V.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Crosslinking; Cyanates; Dynamic mechanical properties; Infrared spectroscopy; Mechanical properties; Nanocomposites; Organic chemistry; Polymer matrix composites; Silica gel; Silicon dioxide; Sol-gel processes; Tetraethyl orthosilicate; Thermodynamic properties
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4949620

A series of Cyanate Ester Resins (CER)-based composites containing 0.01–10 wt. % silica, introduced by sol-gel method, was synthesized using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), and their nanostructure and properties were characterized by means of STEM/EDXS, Far-IR spectroscopy, DMA and DSC methods. It was revealed that the most substantial positive impact on CER dynamics, thermal and mechanical properties is attained at ultra-low silica contents, e.g., at 0.1 wt. % silica where T g and modulus increase, respectively, by 50° and 60%. In this case, silica nanoclusters are absent in the composite, and only chemically incorporated silica junctions of subnanometric size in the densely-crosslinked CER network could be implied. These composites can be designated as “polymer subnanocomposites”. Contrarily, formation of silica nanoclusters and especially their aggregates of hundreds nanometers in size at silica contents of 2–10 wt. % led to the distinct negative impact on the matrix properties.