Ceramic/Polymeric Hybrids with Reduced Coefficients of Thermal Expansion

摘要

The mismatch of the coefficient of the thermal expansion (CTE) is one of the main causes of crack initiation and delamination for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer hybrids and metal/polymer hybrid materials. In this research, a negative CTE ceramic material (zirconium tungstate) was incorporated with a thermoset polymer (bismaleimide) resulting in a -40% reduction in CTE and a significant improvement in thermal stability. The morphology showed good dispersion of the zirconium tungstate particles within the bismaleimide. Comparisons of the experimental CTE values with the rule-of-mixture and the analytical micromechanical models will be discussed.