Why bisphenol E cyanate ester (BECy)?

1. ✓Low viscosity: roughly like olive oil, much lower than epoxy resins and easy to process at room temperature.
   

2. ✓Cured BECy is a highly cross-linked network: high Tg (glass transition temperature) > 270C and high Td (decomposition temperature) > 350 C.
   

3. ✓High strength and good adhesive.
   

4. ✓Low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
   

Which fillers?

Alumina and silica nanoparticles: cheap, easy to be functionalized.

Applications:

    Repair agents/adhesives for resin-inject repair of high-temperature polymer composites; electronics; aerospace structural composites; and more.

My project:

1. ✓Process BECy polymer nanocomposites.
   

2. ✓Functionalization of nanoparticles: better dispersion and stronger interfacial bonding between nanoparticles and polymer matrix.
   

3. ✓Characterization:
   

        Thermal-mechanical properties: TGA, DSC, DMA, TMA

        Rheological properties: Viscometer, Rheometer

        Morphology: SEM, TEM

        Performance testing: Tensile, lap-shear, creep

                        More details? check out this poster:

SELF-HEALING Polymer composites