Oxidation-resistant thermosets derived from thermal copolymerization of acetylenic monomers containing boron and silicon

Abstract

Polymerization of acetylenic monomers containing silicon and boron produces materials that are resistant to oxidation at elevated temperature. In addition to homopolymerization, these inorganic–organic hybrid monomers can be copolymerized with an otherwise all carbon containing system. Inorganic elements incorporated by this method enhance the thermooxidative stability of the copolymer. This stability is a function of the amount of boron in the final product. We show that a thermoset containing an initial 5% by weight of boron can be charred to a material that when heated in air at 1000 °C loses less than 10% of its mass. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4356–4359, 1999