Viscoelastic, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Dicyclopentadiene Bisphenol Diyanate Ester / Epoxy Co-polymers

Summary Dicyanate ester containing dicyclopentadiene cycles and epoxy co-polymers were prepared by copolymerization between epoxy and dicyclopentadiene bisphenol cyanate esters (DCPDCE). Viscoelastic properties of the co-polymers were characterized by the technique of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), which indicated that the introduction of E51 in the co-polymers would effectively improve the toughness of DCPDCE, while the thermal dimensional stability would be weakened. Results from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) are in good accordance with the T_g values from DMA curves. Mechanical testing of the cured co-polymers shows that E51 can improve the mechanical properties of the co-polymers while its usage is controlled among 5% to 15%.