Manufacturing and thermal and mechanical properties of advanced 3-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile/bisphthalonitrile composite laminates

Abstract

The 3-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile (3-APN) was used as a comonomer and coreactive curing agent to modify the 2,2-bis[4-(3,4)-dicyanophenoxyphenyl] (BAPh) resin by blending technology. First, the 3-APN/BAPh matrices were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic rheological analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The curing and rheological behaviors of the blends and prepolymers of 3-APN/BAPh matrix were studied. The results revealed that the blends and prepolymers exhibited the polymerization reaction controlled by the 3-APN content and had large processing window with low melt viscosity. The TGA data revealed that the 3-APN/BAPh matrix copolymers showed excellent thermal and thermal-oxidative stabilities. Moreover, the continuous glass fiber (GF)-reinforced 3-APN/BAPh (GF/3-APN/BAPh) composite laminates were manufactured and the mechanical and thermal properties were studied. The GF/3-APN/BAPh composite laminates exhibited flexural strength (500–766 MPa) and flexural modulus (21–27 GPa) by maintaining high thermal performances. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was utilized to investigate the fracture surfaces of the GF/3-APN/BAPh composite laminates, which had the effective interfacial interaction between the GFs and the matrix. Herein, the 3-APN/BAPh matrix can be a good candidate matrix for high-performance polymeric materials and the advanced laminate can be used in a high-temperature environment.