Mechanical and thermal properties of a novel bismaleimide matrix resin for high-performance composite materials

A novel bismaleimide matrix resin of amino-polythioetherimide (PTEI-N)/4,4-bismaleimidodiphenyl methane (BDM)/2,2-diallylbisphenol A (BA) was prepared. Mechanical measurements, dynamic thermomechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and microanalyses were conducted to assess the mechanical properties, thermal resistance, and morphology of the modified resin. Results demonstrate that the addition of PTEI-N has significant effects on the mechanical properties of the BDM/BA system. Compared with the pure BDM/BA resin, the PTEI-N/BDM/BA system markedly improves the tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength, given an appropriate amount of PTEI-N. Scanning electron microscopic and energy-dispersive spectroscopic results show that PTEI-N is distributed uniformly in the BDM/BA system, and the interfacial compatibility between the PTEI-N and BDM/BA phase is excellent. TGA shows that the BDM/BA resin continues to exhibit good thermal resistance with a suitable dosage of PTEI-N. These changes in properties are closely correlated with the addition of PTEI-N. The PTEI-N/BDM/BA resin system shows potential applications in many fields.