Mechanical Properties of an Additively Manufactured Cyanate Ester

Additive manufacturing is a recent processing method that allows facile fabrication of complex geometries. Additive manufacturing of thermoset composites is commonly done using an extrusion based method termed direct ink writing. Most direct ink writing materials systems have been epoxy based. Epoxy has good mechanical properties but poor thermal stability. To improve the thermal stability a high temperature thermoset resin, bisphenol e cyanate ester, was selected for 3d printing. The cyanate ester was filled with fumed silica to enable direct ink writing. The high temperature thermoset is a brittle material. Inorganic nanoparticles were used to toughen the cyanate ester composite.