Ultralow dielectric, fluoride-containing cyanate ester resins with improved mechanical properties and high thermal and dimensional stabilities

In this contribution, we present a new strategy for the fabrication of modified cyanate ester resins combined with ultralow dielectric properties, improved mechanical properties and high thermal and dimensional stabilities. The fluoride-containing compound 2-((3-(trifluoromethyl) phenoxy) methyl) oxirane (TFMPMO), synthesized from m-(trifluoromethyl) phenol (TFMP) and epichlorohydrin (ECH), was used to modify bisphenol A dicyanate ester (BADCy) resins via copolymerization reaction. The BADCy resin modified with 15 wt% TFMPMO presented ultralow dielectric constant (epsilon, 2.75) and dielectric loss tangent values (tan delta, 6.7 x 10(-3)), high mechanical properties (impact strength of 15.4 kJ m(-2) and flexural strength of 141.0 MPa), and superior thermal and dimensional stability (THeat-resistance (index) of 206 degrees C and coefficient of thermal expansion of 6.4 x 10(-5)), and it possesses great potential application in radomes and antenna systems of aircraft.