The effects of copper oxides on the thermal degradation of bismaleimide triazine prepreg

Abstract

The effect of copper oxides on the thermal degradation of bismaleimide triazine (BT) prepreg has been studied with infrared spectroscopy (IR), attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results of IR and ATR analyses indicate that the thermal degradation in the bulk BT is mainly from the epoxy constituent while that in the copper oxides contacted BT happens not only from the epoxy but also from the more stable cyanate ester constituent. From ATR, it is concluded that the BT contacted with copper oxides have a different degradation behaviour from the bulk BT and this surface related effect can extend to two microns deep into the BT prepreg from the BT/Cu interface. This is partly due to the composition difference in the BT/Cu interfaces resulting from the preferential adsorption on copper surfaces. The TGA results indicate that the BT contacted with the copper oxides degrade at a lower temperature than the bulk BT resin, and the presence of copper oxides would also change the degradation mechanisms of the BT resin.