Curing Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Hollow Glass Microsphere/Bisphenol A Dicyanate Ester Composites

Hollow glass microsphere (HGS)/bisphenol A dicyanate ester (BADCy) composites have been prepared by mechanical mixing, followed by a stepped curing process. The effect of HGS on the curing behavior of BADCy was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The mechanical properties of the composites were examined by mechanical tests, and the improvements of the mechanical properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results show that HGS is catalytic for the polycyclomerization of the BADCy, which is advantageous to reduce the maximal processing temperature. The impact strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus and storage modulus of BADCy are improved. The improvements of the mechanical properties without sacrificing thermal properties, the ability of lowing processing temperature and the low cost make HGS good filler for cyanate ester resin. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1252-1256, 2010