Development of cyanate ester-based shape memory composite reinforced by multi-walled carbon nanotube modified with silicon dioxide

Cyanate ester-based shape memory composites with superior mechanical properties and good shape memory performance are needed in the aerospace field. In this work, we utilized a simple sol-gel method to fabricate multi-walled carbon nanotubes coated with silica (MWCNT@SiO2), which were used to construct a cyanate ester-based shape memory composite (SMPC). The moisture resistance of SMPC was improved by the introduction of MWCNT@SiO2. MWCNT@SiO2 had an efficient enhancement effect on the mechanical strength and toughness of SMPC, and the SMPC exhibited the best mechanical properties with 0.9 wt% loading of MWCNT@SiO2, which was associated with the dispersion of MWCNT@SiO2 in the resin matrix. Compared to neat cyanate ester and epoxidized hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene resin matrix, it was found that the storage modulus of SMPC increased and the values of glass transition temperatures decreased by incorporation of MWCNT@SiO2. Meanwhile, the SMPC retained good shape memory performance, corresponding to high shape fixity ratio and shape recovery ratio (over 98% after 10 test cycles). The addition of MWCNT@SiO2 accelerated the shape memory progress of SMPC.