Development of epoxy-cyanate ester-clay nanocomposites offering enhanced thermal stability

The preparation and characterization of blends of a series of dicyanate monomers such as 2,2′-bis(4-cyanatophenyl) propane (DCDPP), bis-4-cyanato-biphenyl (DCBP), bis-4-cyanatonaphthalene (DCN), 3,3′-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)sulphide (DCTDP), 3,3′-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)sulphone (DCDPS), and the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A are reported. These copolymers are combined with a montmorillionite nanoclay and both epoxy-cyanate blends and epoxy-cyanate blends-nanoclay composites are all analyzed for thermal stability, thermal degradation kinetics, flame retardancy, and impact strength. The nanocomposites are further characterized by X-ray diffraction and SEM to determine morphological features, from which structure–property relationships are determined. Dispersion of the nanoclay is of paramount importance, but its inclusion serves to improve char yield and impact strength, when this is achieved.