Novel carboxylic poly(arylene ether nitrile)s (CPEN) functionalized carbon nanotubes (CPEN-f-CNTs) were successfully prepared by a simple and effective solvent–thermal route. The CPEN-f-CNTs were subsequently used as the novel filler for preparation of high performance poly(arylene ether nitrile)s (PEN) nanocomposites. The SEM characterization of the PEN nanocomposites revealed that the CPEN-f-CNTs present better dispersion and interfacial compatibility in the PEN matrix, which was confirmed by the linear rheological analysis (Cole–Cole plots) as well. Consequently, the improved thermal stability (increased initial and maximum decomposition temperature) and enhanced mechanical properties (tensile strength and modulus) were obtained from nanocomposites using CPEN-f-CNTs. More importantly, the PEN/CPEN-f-CNTs nanocomposites not only show a high dielectric constant but also have low dielectric loss. For example, a dielectric constant of 39.7 and a dielectric loss of 0.076 were observed in the PEN composite with 5 wt% CPEN-f-CNTs loading at 100 Hz. Therefore, the flexible PEN/CPEN-f-CNTs nanocomposites with outstanding mechanical, thermal and dielectric properties will find wide application in the high energy density capacitors. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2622–2631, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

The prepolymers containing bismaleimide (BMI) and 3-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile (3-APN) were prepared through simple solution prepolymerization, and the corresponding curing behaviors and processability were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis. The results showed that the processability of the prepolymers could be controlled by temperature and time on processing, also depended on the relative content of 3-APN and BMI. The possible curing reactions of the prepolymers were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which involved the Michael addition between BMI and 3-APN and self-polymerization of BMI or 3-APN. The resulting polymers displayed high thermo-oxidative stabilities (T_5% > 425 °C) and good adhesion capability. Furthermore, BMI/3-APN systems were employed to prepare BMI/3-APN/glass fiber (GF) composite laminates and their morphological, mechanical, and electrical stable properties were also investigated. The BMI/3-APN/GF laminates exhibited the improvement of the mechanical properties (the maximum flexural strength is 633.5 MPa and flexural modulus is 38.7 GPa) compared with pristine BMI/GF laminates because of the strong interfacial adhesions between GF and matrices, which was confirmed with SEM observations. This study provides a concise strategy for diversifying the preparation of BMI/3-APN prepolymers to obtain advanced GF composite laminates with various properties which have potential applications in industrial manufacture or electronic circuit, and so on. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43640.

Sluggish and narrow process window of phthalonitrile resin has tremendously limited their wide applications. In this work, a novel phthalonitrile containing benzoxazine (4,4′-(((propane-2,2-diylbis (2H-benzo [e] [1,3]oxazine-6,3 (4H)-diyl) bis(3,1-phenylene))bis(oxy)) diphthalonitrile, BA-ph) with ortho-diallyl bisphenol A (DABPA) was investigated. The processing window of the BA-ph/DABPA blends were found from 50°C to 185°C, which was significantly broader than that of the pure BA-ph (120–200°C). The composites were prepared through a curing process involving sequential polymerization of allyl moieties, ring-opening polymerization of oxazine rings and ring-forming polymerization of nitrile groups. BA-ph/DABPA/GF(glass fiber) composite laminates were prepared in this study, and the composite laminate with BA-ph/DABPA molar ratio of 2/2 showed an outstanding flexural strength and modulus of 560 MPa and 37 GPa, respectively, as well as a superior thermal and thermo-oxidative stability up to 408 and 410°C. These outstanding properties suggest that the BA-ph/DABPA/GF composites are suitable candidates as matrices for high performance composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:150–157, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

In this study, the novel polyarylene ether nitrile containing carboxyl groups (CPEN)/Fe₃O₄ hybrids were synthesized via the solvent-thermal route. The SEM and TEM images showed that the surface of functionalized Fe₃O₄ hybrids (CPEN-f-Fe₃O₄) became rough and coated with a thin polymer layer successfully. Chemical bonds were formed between the carboxyl groups and Fe₃O₄ spheres, which were characterized by FTIR and XRD. Series of PEN composite films were prepared through solution-casting method with different contents of CPEN-f-Fe₃O₄ hybrids and raw Fe₃O₄ spheres. The SEM images showed that the CPEN-f-Fe₃O₄ hybrids became much more dispersible and compatible in PEN matrix than that of raw Fe₃O₄ spheres, which was further confirmed by rheological study. The magnetic analysis showed that the saturation magnetization of composites films increased with the increase of CPEN-f-Fe₃O₄ hybrids loading content. The results of thermogravimetric and mechanical study exhibited that the composite films had good thermal stability and mechanical property. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1325–1334, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

The main motivation of the present work was to fabricate novel multifunctional polymer-based nanocomposites. The nanocomposites embedded with multi-walled carbon nanotube-boehmite (MWCNT-boehmite) were prepared via hot pressure casting technique. The MWCNT coated with boehmite were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis. Subsequently, as-prepared MWCNT-boehmite was added into the phthalonitrile-terminated polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN-t-CN) matrix in order to benefit from the synergetic effect of MWCNT and boehmite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) were employed to confirm the existence of MWCNT-boehmite in our article. Furthermore, the structures, fracture morphologies, thermal, mechanical and dielectric properties of the nanocomposites were investigated, respectively. SEM images indicated that the MWCNT-boehmite was homogeneously dispersed in the polymer, which acted as an essential factor to ensure good physical properties. The TGA analysis showed that the incorporation of MWCNT-boehmite enhanced the thermal stability of the nanocomposites with initial degradation temperature (T_id) increasing from 458 to 492°C, while that of the pure PEN-t-CN was 439°C. The mechanical testing proved that significant enhancement of mechanical properties has been achieved. The tensile strength of PEN-t-CN/MWCNT-boehmite composites with 3 wt% MWCNT-boehmite reached the maximum (78.33 MPa), with a 41.7 % increase compared to the pure polymer. More importantly, the unique dielectric properties were systematically discussed and the results demonstrated that dielectric properties exhibited little dependency on frequency. For the incorporation of hybrid filler, the positive impact of MWCNT-boehmite hybrid material resulted in polymer-based nanocomposites with enhanced physical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:2193–2202, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

A polymer-based thermal conductive composite has been developed. It is based on a dispersion of micro- and nanosized alumina (Al₂O₃) in the phthalonitrile-terminated poly (arylene ether nitriles) (PEN-t-ph) via solution casting method. The Al₂O₃ with different particle sizes were functionalized with phthalocyanine (Pc) which was used as coupling agent to improve the compatibility of Al₂O₃ and PEN-t-ph matrix. The content of microsized functionalized Al₂O₃ (m-f-Al₂O₃) maintained at 30 wt % to form the main thermally conductive path in the composites, and the nanosized functionalized Al₂O₃ (n-f-Al₂O₃) act as connection role to provide additional channels for the heat flow. The thermal conductivity of the f-Al₂O₃/PEN-t-ph composites were investigated as a function of n-f-Al₂O₃ loading. Also, a remarkable improvement of the thermal conductivity from 0.206 to 0.467 W/mK was achieved at 30 wt % n-f-Al₂O₃ loading, which is nearly 2.7-fold higher than that of pure PEN-t-ph polymer. Furthermore, the mechanical testing reveals that the tensile strength increased from 99 MPa for pure PEN-t-ph to 105 MPa for composites with 30 wt % m-f-Al₂O₃ filler loading. In addition, the PEN-t-ph composites possess excellent thermal properties with glass transition temperature (T_g) above 184°C, and initial degradation temperature (T_id) over 490°C. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41595.

A novel single-component composite based on phthalonitrile end-capped polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN-Ph) which undergoes a crosslinking reaction combined with crystallization behavior has been prepared successfully by hot compressing. The project focuses on studying the influence of the processing temperature and curing time on the crosslinking reaction and crystallization behavior. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicates that the crosslinking degree increases with an increase of processing temperature and curing time. In contrast, the crystallinity increases first and then decreases as the curing time increases, owing to the effect of the restriction of the crosslinking reaction on the crystallization behavior. Thermal polarizing microscope images provide direct evidence for crystal formation as a result of crosslinking reaction. Moreover, through comparative analysis of amorphous and crystallized PEN-Ph sheets, the conclusion is drawn that the glass transition temperature and mechanical properties are affected by not only the degree of crosslinking but also by the crystallinity. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

The interfacial interaction is extremely important when dealing with filler-reinforced polymer materials. Herein, in order to improve the interfacial interaction with the polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN) matrix, a three-dimensional rough structure was designed. First, needle-like TiO₂ nanocrystals were grown on each surface of the graphene. Morphology analysis proved that rough TiO₂ nanocrystals were coated on the graphene nanosheets. Then, TiO₂@graphene/PEN composites were fabricated to investigate the filler–matrix interaction. Thereafter, the different polymer chains could be interlocked by the TiO₂ “needles” when the rough TiO₂@graphene was embedded into the polymer resin. The surrounding PEN polymer chains (work as ropes) could tie to the “needles” (work as wood pile). That is to say, the effective polymer chain length was greatly lengthened, resulting in the improvement of interfacial interactions and mechanical properties. Most importantly, the morphology, mechanical and rheological tests of the composites also proved the improvement of interfacial interactions and mechanical properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Poly (arylene ether nitrile)/fullerene (PEN/fullerene) nanocomposites were prepared by a facile solution-cast method and the rheological, dielectric, mechanical, and morphological properties of the resulted nanocomposites were systematically studied and compared. Rheological studies showed PEN/fullerene nanocomposites percolation network formed at fullerene containing of 1.50 wt %, when the shear frequency was fixed at 0.1 Hz, the fitted rheological percolation threshold was about 1.55 wt %, very close to the experimental observations. The dielectric transaction occurs when the fullerene loading reached 1.50 wt %, that is very close to its rheological percolation threshold. At this point, PEN/fullerene nanocomposites also showed the optimal mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 93.6 MPa and modulus of 1951.5 MPa, which is increased by 27% and 15% compared with the pure PEN. SEM and TEM images have manifested the separate fullerene aggregated to fullerene bundles in PEN/fullerene nanocomposites, and the dispersion of fullerene bundles begin to go bad when the containing above 1.50 wt %. The PEN/fullerene nanocomposites can be widely used due to its excellent dielectric and mechanical performance. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40100.

Graphene nanoplatelet reinforced semi-crystal poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN/GN) nanocomposites were prepared by an economically and environmentally friendly method of twin-screw extrusion technique. The feasibility of using PEN/GN nanocomposites was investigated by evaluating their thermal behaviors, mechanical, and morphological properties. Thermal studies revealed that GN could act as nucleating agents but decreased the whole crystallinity in/of PEN/GN nanocomposites. Mechanical investigation manifested that GN had both strengthening effect (increase in flexural modulus and strength) and toughening effect (rise in the elongation and impact strength) on the mechanical performance of semi-crystal PEN nanocomposites. Heat treatment can further increase their mechanical performances due to the increased crystallinity and release of inner stress. With the small addition of GN (<5 wt%), the morphology of PEN was changed from brittle to ductile, and GN showed good dispersion and adhesion in/to the PEN matrix. This work shows that in the semi-crystal polymer/filler systems, besides the dispersion states of fillers and interactions between fillers and polymer matrices, the crystallinity of the nanocomposites affected by the existence of filler and the residual stress are also two key factors determining the mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:404–411, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

Nanosilica/polyarylene ether nitriles terminated with phthalonitrile (SiO₂/PEN-t-Ph) composites were prepared by hot-press approach. To ensure the nano-SiO₂ can disperse uniformly, the solution casting method combined with ultrasonic dispersion technology had been taken previously. The mass fraction of nano-SiO₂ particles was varied to investigate their effect on the thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. From scanning electron microscope images, it was found that the nanoSiO₂ particles were dispersed uniformly in the PEN-t-Ph matrix when the addition of nano-SiO₂ was less than 16.0 wt%. However, when the mass fraction of nano-SiO₂ increased to 20.0 wt%, the nano-SiO₂ particles tend to self-aggregate and form microns sized particles. Thermal studies revealed that nano-SiO₂ particles did not weaken the thermal stabilities of the PEN-t-Ph matrix. Mechanical investigation manifested that the SiO₂/PEN-t-Ph nanocomposites with 12.0 wt% nano-SiO₂ loading showed the best mechanical performance with tensile strength of 108.2 MPa and tensile modulus of 2107.5 Mpa, increasing by 14% and 19%, respectively as compared with the pure PEN-t-Ph film. Dielectric measurement showed that the dielectric constant increased from 3.70 to 4.15 when the nano-SiO₂ particles varied from 0.0 to 20.0 wt% at 1 kHz. Therefore, such composite was a good candidate for high performance materials at elevated temperature environment. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:344–350, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

Novel TiO₂–Ag core–shell micro-/nanowires (TiO₂ shell coating on Ag core) have been successfully prepared via a solvent–thermal method. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the micro-/nanowires were composed of Ag, Ti and O elements, and Ag was face-centered cubic whereas TiO₂ was mainly amorphous. Interestingly, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy results showed that most of the TiO₂ bristles were perpendicular to and uniformly studded on the surface of the Ag cores. Subsequently, TiO₂–Ag/poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) composite films were prepared via a solution-casting method in order to investigate the effect of TiO₂–Ag on the PEN matrix. SEM images showed that there was good interfacial adhesion between fillers and PEN matrix owing to the special bristle-like structure. Thermal analysis results showed that the TiO₂–Ag/PEN composite films possessed excellent thermal properties endowed by the PEN matrix. The dielectric constant of the composite films increased to 9.3 at 100 Hz when the TiO₂–Ag loading reached 40 wt%. Rheology measurements revealed that the network formed by TiO₂–Ag was sensitive to shear stress and nearly time independent. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

A series of sulfonated poly(arylene ether nitrile) copolymers containing carboxyl groups were synthesized via a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction from phenolphthalein, hydroquinone sulfonic acid potassium salt, and 2,6-difluorobenzonitrile in N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) with K₂CO₃ as a catalyst. The synthesized copolymers had good solubility in common polar organic solvents and could be easily processed into membranes from solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide, NMP, N,N′-dimethyl acetylamide, and dimethylformamide. Typical membranes in acid form were gained, and the chemical structures of these membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The thermal properties, fluorescence properties, water uptake, ion-exchange capacity, and proton conductivities of these copolymers were also investigated. The results indicate that they had high glass-transition temperatures in the range 151–187°C and good thermal stability, with the 10 wt% loss temperatures ranging from 330 to 351°C under nitrogen. The copolymers showed characteristic unimodal ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption and fluorescence emission, and the UV–vis absorption, fluorescence excitation, and emission peaks of the copolymers were obvious. Moreover, the copolymer membranes showed good water uptake and proton conductivities at room temperature and 55% relative humidity because of the introduction of both sulfonic acid groups and carboxyl groups into the copolymers, whose contents were in ranges 18.45–67.86 and 3.4 × 10⁻⁴ to 3.0 × 10⁻³ s/cm, respectively. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40213.

A novel series of composites of polyarylene ether nitrile terminated with phthalonitrile (PEN-t-Ph) filled with hybrid Fe3O4 nanospheres (h-Fe₃O₄) was prepared via in situ composition. Based on the cross-linking interactions between the phthalonitrile at the end of PEN-t-Ph molecular chains and the phthalonitrile on the surface of h-Fe₃O₄ particles to form phthalocyanine ring, it was shown that the PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ system had superior interfacial compatibility and the h-Fe₃O₄ particles were locked in the matrix resin. These results had been confirmed by scanning electron microscope analysis. By orthogonal experiments and statistic analysis, the optimal conditions of cure temperature, type of h-Fe₃O₄ and content of h-Fe₃O₄ had been determined. Meanwhile, the results of range analysis and variance analysis indicated that the cure temperature had great effects on the thermal properties. Thermal studies revealed that the glass transition temperature of PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ cured at 320°C was 214.7°C, increased by about 40°C compared to the PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ without heat treatment, and the temperature corresponding to the weight loss of 5 wt % was increased by about 20°C. Mechanical measurements indicated that PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ cured at 320°C possesses excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength of 93.33 MPa and tensile modulus of 2414.05 MPa, 9.91 MPa, 355.76 MPa higher than pure PEN-t-Ph film cured at 320°C, and 13.26 MPa, 397.90 MPa higher than PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ without heat treatment. Most importantly, the presence of h-Fe₃O₄ particles endows PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ system with good magnetic property. Thus, PEN-t-Ph/h-Fe₃O₄ cured at 320°C may have potential applications in field of magnetic materials. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40418.

To develop high performances of polymer composite laminates, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis studies were conducted to show curing behaviors of 3-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile/epoxy resin (3-APN/EP) matrix and define cure parameters of manufacturing processes. Glass fiber reinforced 3-APN/EP (GF/3-APN/EP) composite laminates were successfully prepared through different processing conditions with three parameters such as pressures, temperatures, and time. Based on flexure tests, dynamic mechanical analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscope, the complementary catalytic effect of the three processing parameters is investigated by studying mechanical behavior, thermomechanical behavior, thermal behavior, and fracture morphology of GF/3-APN/EP laminates. The 50/50 GF/3-APN/EP laminates showed a significant improvement in flexural strength, glass transition temperature (T_g), and thermal stability with favorable processing parameters. It was also found that the T_g and thermal stability were significantly improved by the postheated treatment method. The effect of manufacturing process provides a new and simple route for the polymer–matrix composites application, which indicates that the composites can be manufactured at low temperatures. But, they can be used in a high temperature environment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39746.

A novel bisphthalonitrile monomer containing allyl groups (DBPA-Ph) had been synthesized via the reaction of diallyl bisphenol A (DBPA) and 4-nitrophthalonitrile. The chemical structure of DBPA-Ph was confirmed by ¹HNMR, ¹³CNMR, and FTIR spectroscopy. The curing behaviors and processability of DBPA-Ph were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic rheological analysis. The monomer manifested a two-stage thermal polymerization pattern. The first stage was attributed to the polymerization of allyl groups and the second to the ring-form polymerization of cyano groups. The result of dynamic rheological analysis indicated the monomer had wide curing window and the self-catalyzed curing behavior. DBPA-Ph polymers were prepared from the thermal polymerization with short curing time, showing high glass transition temperature (>350°C) and attractive thermal decomposition temperature (>430°C). The outstanding glass transition temperature, desirable thermo-oxidative stabilities, good processability and sound process conditions could provide more applications to the DBPA-Ph polymers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41203.

A series of bisphenol A (BPA)-based 2,2-bis-[4-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPh) prepolymers and polymers were prepared using BPA as a novel curing agent. Ultraviolet–visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum were used to study the polymerization reaction mechanism of the BAPh/BPA polymers. The curing behaviors were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis, the results indicated that the BAPh/BPA prepolymers exhibit large processing windows (109.5–148.5°C) and low complex viscosity (0.1–1 Pa·s) at moderate temperature, respectively. Additionally, the BAPh/BPA/glass fiber (GF) composite laminates were manufactured and investigated. The flexural strength and modulus of the composite laminates are 548.7–632.8 MPa and 25.7–33.2 GPa, respectively. The thermal stabilities of BAPh/BPA/GF composite laminates were studied by thermogravimetry analysis. The temperatures at 5% weight loss (T_5%) of the composite laminates are 508.5–528.7°C in nitrogen and 508.1–543.2°C in air. In conclusion, the BAPh/BPA systems can be used as superior matrix materials for numerous advanced composite applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

An easy and efficient approach by using carboxyl functionalized CNTs (CNT-COOH) as nano reinforcement was reported to develop advanced thermosetting composite laminates. Benzoxazine containing cyano groups (BA-ph) grafted with CNTs (CNT-g-BA-ph), obtained from the in situ reaction of BA-ph and CNT-COOH, was used as polymer matrix and processed into glass fiber (GF)-reinforced laminates through hot-pressed technology. FTIR study confirmed that CNT-COOH was bonded to BA-ph matrices. The flexural strength and modulus increased from 450 MPa and 26.4 GPa in BA-ph laminate to 650 MPa and 28.4 GPa in CNT-g-BA-ph/GF composite, leading to 44 and 7.5% increase, respectively. The SEM image observation indicated that the CNT-COOH was distributed homogeneously in the matrix, and thus significantly eliminated the resin-rich regions and free volumes. Besides, the obtained composite laminates showed excellent thermal and thermal-oxidative stabilities with the onset degradation temperature up to 624°C in N₂ and 522°C in air. This study demonstrated that CNT-COOH grafted on thermosetting matrices through in situ reaction can lead to obvious mechanical and thermal increments, which provided a new and effective way to design and improve the properties of composite laminates. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) nanocomposites filled with functionalized graphite nanoplates (GNs) were prepared by a simple solution- casting method and then characterized by rheometer and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). This study investigates how the surface treatment of GNs affects the GN dispersion state. The linear rheological test indicated that the 4-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile-grafted GN (GN-CN) presented better dispersion in PEN matrix than purified GN because the corresponding composite showed the lower rheological percolation threshold, which was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and solution experiments. The TGA revealed that the presence of 4-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile-grafted GN retarded the depolymerization evidently compared with that of purified GN, showing remarkable increase in the temperatures corresponding to a weight loss of 5 wt % (increased by 21°C) and maximum rate of decomposition (increased by 9°C). Both the dispersion state and the surface functionalization of GN are very important to the thermal stability of PEN matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Copolymerizing behavior and processability of epoxy/benzoxazine containing cyano groups (EP/BA-ph) systems were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis. The results showed that EP/BA-ph systems exhibited two characteristic peaks corresponding to ring-opening of benzoxazine and ring-formation of cyano groups, respectively. Compared with BA-ph, EP/BA-ph copolymer processability was improved and can be controlled by varying EP contents, processing temperature, and time. Then EP/BA-ph copolymers were employed to prepare EP/BA-ph/glass fiber (GF) composite laminates and their mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties were investigated. Compared with those of BA-ph/GF composites, the flexural strength, and modulus of EP/BA-ph/GF composites with 50 wt % EP content were increased by 13.5 and 20%, respectively. The enhancements in mechanical properties are mainly due to the strong interfacial adhesions between GF and matrices, which was confirmed by SEM observations. All EP/BA-ph/GF composite laminates are stable up to 510°C in air. EP/BA-ph/GF laminates will have potential applications in the areas where require of excellent mechanical properties and high temperature resistance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Bisphthalonitrile (BAPh)/polyarylene ether nitrile end-capped with hydroxyl groups (PEN-OH) composite laminates reinforced with glass fiber (GF) have been fabricated in this article. The curing behaviors of BAPh/PEN-OH prepolymers have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis. The results indicate that with the introduction of PEN-OH the curing temperature of BAPh has decreased to 229.6–234.8°C and BAPh/PEN-OH prepolymers exhibit large processing windows with relatively low melt viscosity. The BAPh/PEN-OH/GF composite laminates exhibit tensile strength (272.4–456.5 MPa) and modulus (4.9–10.0 GPa), flexural strength (507.1–560.9 MPa), and flexural modulus (24.0–30.4 GPa) with high thermal (stable up to 538.3°C) and thermal stabilities (stable up to 475.5°C). The dielectric properties of BAPh/PEN-OH/GF composite laminates have also been investigated, which had little dependence on the frequency. Meanwhile, scanning electron microscopy results show that the BAPh/PEN-OH/GF composite laminates display excellent interfacial adhesions between the matrix and GFs. Herein, the BAPh/PEN-OH matrix can be a good matrix for high-performance polymeric materials and the advanced BAPh/PEN-OH/GF composite laminates can be used under high temperature environment. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:2160–2168, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

Crosslinkable poly(arylene ether nitrile)/glass fiber (PEN/GF) composites with high thermal stabilities and mechanical properties were prepared by a economically and environmentally viable method of melt extrusion and injection molding. The feasibility of using PEN/GF composites was investigated by evaluating its morphological, rheological, thermal, and mechanical properties. The morphology shows a good dispersion and strong interfacial interaction between PEN and GF. Thermal studies reveal that the thermal stabilities of PEN/GF are improved significantly with increase of GF content. Mechanical investigation manifested that GFs have strengthening effect (increase in flexural, tensile, and impact strength) on the mechanical performance of PEN composites. Most importantly, crosslinking reaction of PEN/GF composites can further improve their mechanical performances, because a couple of GFs are agglomerated by thermal motion and strong interfacial adhesion and the local agglomeration does not break the global uniform distribution. This work shows that both the enhancement of GF content and the crosslinking reaction of PEN/GF composites are two key factors influencing the thermal and mechanical properties. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

In this study, poly(arylene ether nitriles) containing pendant carboxyl groups (PEN-COOH) was first synthesized via nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction from phenolphthalein, hydroquinone and 2,6-dicholorobenzonitrile. Then, poly(arylene ether nitriles) with pendant phthalonitrile groups (PEN-CN) was obtained via the Yamazaki–Higashi phosphorylation route from 4-(4-aminophenoxy)phthalonitrile (APN) with PEN-COOH in the presence of CaCl₂, thus the phthalonitrile as pendant groups in PEN-CN were easily crosslinked by further thermal treatment. The effect of crosslinking density on the thermal stabilities, dielectric properties and water absorption of the PEN-CNs was investigated. These results showed that the T_g of PEN-CN was improved from 182 to 213°C, dielectric constant (ε) was increased from 3.1 to 3.9, and dielectric loss (tan δ) was decreased from 0.090 to 0.013 at 1 kHz. The water absorption of PEN-CNs after thermal crosslinking was <1.01 wt %, which showed excellent water resisting property. Therefore, this kind of poly(arylene ether nitriles) containing pendant phthalonitrile could be a good candidate as matrix resins for high-performance polymeric materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

A novel polyarylene ether nitrile terminated with phthalonitrile (PEN-t-Ph) was synthesized by a simple solution polycondensation of biphenyl and hydroquinone with 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile, followed by termination with 4-nitrophthalonitrile. The PEN-t-Ph/1,3,5-Tri-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy) benzene (TPh) system was prepared by cure treatment. The phthalonitrile on PEN-t-Ph were thermally crosslinked with TPh in the presence of diamino diphenyl sulfone through cure treatment up to 280–340°C, which led to the transformation from thermoplastic polymers to thermosetting polymers. This is because the phthalonitrile on the PEN-t-Ph can react with TPh by forming phthalocyanine ring. The glass transition temperatures of the PEN-t-Ph/TPh system increased from 152.4°C to 194.7°C, and the initial decomposition temperature (ranging from 475.3°C to 544.0°C) increased by 68°C after thermal curing. Therefore, their thermal properties can be greatly enhanced by crosslinking. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1363-1368, 2013

The different filler effects of identical nitrile-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNs) in a poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEEN) matrix were investigated. PEEN/CNT and PEEN/GN composites were prepared by a facile solution-casting method and systematically investigated for their differences in morphological, thermal and rheological properties. In the PEEN matrix GNs contact one another in a plane-to-plane manner, while CNTs are separated. Compared with PEEN/CNT composites, PEEN/GN composites below 2 wt% filler content exhibited higher thermal stability. Rheological properties of the resulting composites indicated that PEEN/GN composites were more sensitive to strain and exhibited higher η*, G′ and G″ than PEEN/CNT composites. The rheological percolation for CNTs is over 2 wt%, higher than that for GNs (around 1 wt%). All these differences originate from the different dimensions and structures of CNTs and GNs: GNs with a flake-like structure and larger surface area can have stronger physical and interfacial interactions with the polymer matrix. This work gives a comparative view of the different filler effects that functionalized CNTs and GNs can have in the polymer host. With identical processing technology, GNs can show a stronger filler effect than CNTs. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

A new type of graphite nanoplatelets (GN) reinforced polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN)/bisphthalonitrile (BPh) interpenetrating polymer network with high strength and high toughness was synthesized and characterized. The results showed that GN and PEN had obvious synergistic effect on its properties of resulted BPh composites. Compared to pure BPh, with a loading of 10 wt % PEN and 10 wt % GN, the obtained composites exhibited excellent mechanical properties. In these systems, the flexural toughness and strength of BPh resin could be enhanced with the incorporation of PEN; meanwhile, GN could further improve the flexural modulus and thermal stability lowered by PEN. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

A series of copolymers and glass fiber composites were successfully prepared from 2,2-bis [4-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy) phenyl] propane (BAPh), epoxy resins E-44 (EP), and polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN) with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone as curing additive. The gelation time was shortened from 25 min to 4 min when PEN content was 0 wt % and 15 wt %, respectively. PEN could accelerate the crosslinking reaction between the phthalonitrile and epoxy. The initial decomposition temperatures (T_i) of BAPh/EP copolymers and glass fiber composites were all more than 350°C in nitrogen. The T_g of 15 wt % PEN glass fiber composites increased by 21.2°C compared with that of in comparison with BAPh/EP glass fiber composite. The flexural strength of the copolymers and glass fiber composites reached 119.8 MPa and 698.5 MPa which increased by 16.6 MPa and 127.3 MPa in comparison with BAPh/EP composite, respectively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

In this study, novel nitrile functionalized graphene (GN-nitrile)/poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) nanocomposites were prepared by an easy solution-casting method and investigated for the effect of surface modification on the dielectric, mechanical and thermal properties. Graphene (GN) was first functionalized by introduction of nitrile groups onto the GN plane, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and dispersibility research. Compared with pure GN, the grafted nitrile groups on the GN-nitrile can interact with nitrile groups in PEN and lead to flat but better dispersion and stronger adhesion in/to the PEN matrix. Consequently, GN-nitrile had a more significant enhancement effect on the properties of PEN. The dielectric constant of the PEN/GN-nitrile nanocomposite with 5 wt% GN-nitrile reaches 11.5 at 100 Hz, which is much larger than that of the pure PEN matrix (3.1). Meanwhile, dielectric loss is quite small and stable and the dielectric properties showed little frequency dependence. For 5 wt% GN-nitrile reinforced PEN composites, increases of 17.6% in tensile strength, 26.4% in tensile modulus and 21 °C in T_d5% were obtained. All PEN/GN-nitrile nanocomposite films can stand high temperature, up to 480 °C. Hence, novel dielectric PEN/GN-nitrile nanocomposite films with excellent mechanical and thermal properties can be used as dielectric materials under some critical circumstances such as high wear and temperature. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

Poly(arylene ether nitriles) (PEN) containing various contents of graphene nanosheets (GNs) was prepared via solution-casting method and investigated for their dielectric, mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties. For PEN/GNs nanocomposite with 5 wt % GNs, the dielectric constant was increased to 9.0 compared with that of neat PEN (3.1) and dielectric losses of all nanocomposites were in the range of 0.019–0.023 at 1 kHz. The tensile modulus and strength were increased about 6 and 14% with 0.5% GNs, respectively. The fracture surfaces of the all PEN/GNs nanocomposites revealed that GNs had good adhesion to PEN matrix. The thermal properties of the nanocomposites showed significant increase with increasing GN loading. For 5 wt % GNs-reinforced PEN nanocomposite, the temperatures corresponding to a weight loss of 5 wt % (T_d5%) and 30 wt % (T_d30%) increased by about 20 and 13°C, respectively. Rheological properties of the PEN nanocomposites showed a sudden change with the GN fraction and the percolation threshold was about 1 wt % of GNs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Halogen-free flame-retarded blends composed of 2,2-bis[4-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy) phenyl] propane (BAPh) and epoxy resin E-44 (EP) were successfully prepared with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone as a curing additive. The structure of the copolymers was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which showed that epoxy groups, a phthalocyanine ring, and a triazine ring existed. The limiting oxygen index values were over 30, and the UL-94 rating reached V-0 for the 20 : 80 (w/w) BAPh/EP copolymers. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis were employed to study the curing reaction behaviors of the phthalonitrile/epoxy blends. Also, the gelation time was shortened to 3 min when the prepolymerization temperature was 190°C. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal decomposition of the phthalonitrile/epoxy copolymers significantly improved with increasing BAPh content. The flexible strength of the 20:80 copolymers reached 149.5 MPa, which enhanced by 40 MPa compared to pure EP. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

The electrospinning method has been employed to fabricate ultrafine nanofibers of high-performance polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN) and PEN/Fe-phthalocyanine/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite fibers for the first time. Through optimizing the operational conditions, such as polymer concentration, applied electric voltage, federate, and distance between needle tip and collector, bead-free and uniform fibers with smooth surfaces and certain diameters were obtained. The morphology of the PEN nanofibers is correlated to the corresponding rheological behaviors of the polymer solutions. The nanocomposite fibers showed a beads-in-string structures without agglomeration after introducing the Fe-phthalocyanine/Fe₃O₄ hybrid microspheres in the polymer fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveal an enhanced thermal stability of the nanocomposite fibers after introducing the hybrids. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the nanocomposite fibers increases by 10°C with 30 wt % hybrid microspheres, compared with those of the pure PEN fibers. The magnetic properties of the PEN/Fe-phthalocyanine/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite fibers are different from those of the hybrid microspheres. The hybrid microspheres in the composite nanofibers become magnetically harder with a much larger coercivity than that of the fillers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Bisphthalonitrile (BAPh) monomer was blended with novolac resins to achieve good processing resin blends. The curing behaviors of the novolac/BAPh (novolac/BAPh) blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic rheological analysis. The results indicated that the blends had large processing windows (98–118°C), and they can copolymerize without any other curing additives. The novolac/BAPh copolymers were obtained by short curing times and low curing temperatures. Thermal and thermal-oxidative stabilities of the copolymers were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis, and the char yields up to 74 and 35% by weight at 800°C were achieved under nitrogen and air atmosphere, respectively. These postcured copolymers exhibited a 5% weight loss temperature of 502°C in air. These results revealed that the copolymers exhibited excellent thermal and thermal-oxidative stabilities. Dynamic mechanical properties of the copolymers were systematically evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis. The copolymers exhibited higher glass transition temperatures (T_g) as the BAPh content increased. Mechanical properties of the copolymers were investigated, and these data showed that flexural strength and flexural modulus of the 50 : 50 novolac/BAPh copolymers were 91 MPa and 5.78 GPa, respectively. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) end-capped with phthalonitrile (PEN-n) was synthesized by incorporating phthalonitrile into the terminals of PEN. The as-prepared flexible PEN-n (after elevated temperature treatment) was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, and rheological measurements. In addition, the effects of curing behaviors on properties of PEN-n films were studied by thermal, dielectric and mechanical measurements. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that glass transition temperature of PEN-n was improved from 176 to 232°C as the curing temperature and time increased. Thermal gravimetric analysis revealed that initial decomposition temperature of PEN-n cured at 320°C for 2 h was 570°C. Mechanical properties showed that tensile strength of PEN-n uncured and cured at 320°C for 3 h was 85 and 97 MPa, respectively. The dielectric properties showed that the dielectric constant of PEN-n film decreased from 4.0 to 3.1 as the curing time increased and dielectric loss of PEN-n was 0.01 at 100 kHz. This kind of PEN-n film may be used as a good candidate for high-performance polymeric materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Poly(arylene ether nitriles) (PEN) with pendant phthalonitrile groups (PENCN) were obtained via the Yamazaki-Higashi phosphorylation route of 4-(4-aminophenoxy)phthalonitrile (APN) with acid-contained PEN (PENCOOH) in the presence of CaCl₂. The chemical structure and molecular weight of PENCN were characterized by ¹H-NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Gel permeation chromatography. The synthesized PENCN had superior solubility in polar organic solvent and can be easily processed into thin films from the solutions of N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylsulfoxide, N,N′-dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, and tetrahydrofuran. Compared with PENCOOH, PENCN showed higher thermal stability with 5% weight loss temperatures (T_5%) up to 430°C. The glass transition temperature of PENCN was improved from 211 to 235°C measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, it also exhibited excellent mechanical properties that Young's modulus reached to 3.5 GPa. Meanwhile, the effects of different aromatic amines and Lewis acid on the crosslinking behavior of PENCN were investigated by DSC. The results indicated that anhydrous Zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) was the best catalyst to lower the curing temperature among 2,6-bis(4-diaminobenzoxy) benzonitrile, 4,4-diaminediphenyl sulfone, APN and ZnCl₂. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

The processing of cross-linked polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN), which has a triazine rings structure, has been investigated under different reaction times and temperatures. In this study, the PEN films prepared by the tape-casting formed the thermally stable triazine rings by catalytic cross-linking reaction gradually, which was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The chemical cross-linking reaction occurred as the CN group absorption of PEN at 2221 cm⁻¹ decreased and a new absorption peak, at 1682 cm⁻¹, was observed, and the absorption peak intensity would be progressively larger, with the extension of the processing time. After the formation of cross-linking networks, the cross-linking degree and thermal and mechanical properties of the processed films were improved substantially, compared with the untreated films. The film with added ZnCl₂ as the catalyst was more rapidly cross-linked, and its properties were better than that without catalyst at the same treatment conditions. The glass-transition temperature (T_g) of PEN films processed at 350°C for 4 h (213.65°C) was higher than that of PEN films before the treatment (161°C), and the tensile strength was also improved significantly. The PEN was processed at 350°C for 2 h, whose initial decomposition temperature increases by about 10°C, compared with that of untreated film, at one time. The rheology behavior of the cross-linked films was processed on dynamic rheometer to monitor and track the process of polymer cross-linking reaction. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

To find a proper amine to promote the processability of phthalonitrile-based composites, three different aromatic amines: 4-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile (APN), 2,6-bis (4-diaminobenzoxy) benzonitrile (BDB) and 4,4′-diaminediphenyl sulfone (DDS) were used as curing agents to investigate the crosslinking behavior and thermal decomposition behavior of phthalonitrile oligomer containing biphenyl ethernitrile (2PEN-BPh). Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and dynamic rheological analysis were employed to study the curing reaction behavior of the phthalonitrile/amine blends and prepolymers. The studies revealed that BDB was the preferred curing agent and the preferred concentration of BDB was 3 wt %. The thermal properties of the 2PEN-BPh polymers were monitored by TGA, and the results indicated that all the completely cured 2PEN-BPh polymers maintained good structure integrity upon heating to elevated temperatures and these polymers could thermal stabilize up to over 550°C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed the glass transition temperature (T_g) exceeded 450°C when the 2PEN-BPh polymer post cured at 375°C for 8 h. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

Dicarboxylic acid-containing 1,3-benzoxazine was synthesized and chemically bonded on iron carbonyl particles using a post-coating method. Novel organic–inorganic hybrid magnetic composites were prepared via the interfacial reaction between magnetic phthalonitrile prepolymers and the benzoxazine functional coatings that chemically modified the iron carbonyl particles. The results showed that, compared with pure iron carbonyl particles, the modified particles could cure the phthalonitrile prepolymers efficiently and improve the interfacial compatibility of the functional composites. The magnetic composites with chemically modified particles exhibited stronger magnetism in comparison to composites containing bare particles: the saturation magnetization of the magnetic composites with equal concentration (5 wt%) of Fe(CO)₅ increased from 41.12 to 48.82 emu g⁻¹. Also, the magnetic composites obtained demonstrated excellent thermal stability up to 500 °C. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

Poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) nanocomposites containing various functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared through a solution-casting method. The as-prepared PEN nanocomposites were investigated using parallel-plate rheometry and thermogravimetric analysis, aimed at examining the effect of surface functionalization on the dispersion of MWCNTs from the viscoelastic and thermal properties. The linear viscoelasticy results indicated that 4-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile-grafted MWCNTs presented better dispersion in the PEN matrix than purified and carboxylic MWCNTs because the corresponding composite showed the lowest rheological percolation threshold, which was further confirmed from scanning electron microscopy, dissolution experiments and solution rheological experiments. The thermogravimetric analysis results revealed that the presence of 4-aminophenoxyphthalonitrile-grafted and carboxylic MWCNTs retarded the depolymerization compared with purified MWCNTs, showing a marked increase in the temperature corresponding to a loss of 5 wt% (increased by 14–22 °C) and maximum rate of decomposition (increased by 4–8 °C). Both the state of dispersion and the surface functionalization of MWCNTs are very important to the thermal stability of the PEN matrix. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

In this study, a novel multifunctional poly(arylene ether nitriles)(PEN)/carbon nanotubes/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite with high tensile strength, magnetic, and electrical properties was investigated. First, we synthesized the monodisperse Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on the surface of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes and then the hybrid material was compounded with PEN through the solution-casting method. The SEM and TEM images indicated that the monodisperse Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, with the diameters of 70∼80 nm, were self-assembled along CNTs via the covalent bond method, which was confirmed by FTIR and XRD. The results of tensile properties showed that the tensile strength and modulus reached their highest values at the CNTs/Fe₃O₄ loading content of 1 wt % and both were greatly enhanced after heat treatment. Electrical conductivity of the polymer was dramatically enhanced at the low loading level of CNTs/Fe₃O₄; the electrical percolation of was in the range of 5∼8 wt % of CNTs/Fe₃O₄. The magnetic study showed that the saturation magnetization (M_s) of PEN/CNTs/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites increased with the increase of CNTs/Fe₃O₄ loading content, and the coercive force (H_c) of the nanocomposite was independent of the CNTs/Fe₃O₄ content. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011

Poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN)/phthalonitrile prepolymer (PNP) blends were prepared via a melt-mixing process. The melt flow properties, compatibility, and thermal and mechanical properties were characterized by dynamic rheological testing, dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile testing, thermal analysis, and fracture surface morphology observation. The melt-mixed PEN/PNP blends displayed excellent melt flow properties during processing. When the PNP content in PEN was increased, the viscosity of the blends decreased considerably. Compared with that of pure PEN, the dynamic complex viscosity of the PEN/PNP blend with an 11% addition of PNP dropped sharply from 7000 to 2000 Pa s at 350°C and a frequency of 10 Hz. The dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry results showed good compatibility between PEN and PNP. Observations of the morphology of the fractured surfaces revealed better component dispersion in which PNP was dissolved in the PEN matrix. Importantly for further commercial applications, the blending materials maintained the characteristic thermal and thermooxidative stability and mechanical properties of PEN. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010

A novel bisphthalonitrile containing benzoxazine units (BZ-BPH) was synthesized via a solventless method from 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl, paraformaldehyde, and 4-aminophenoxylphthalonitrile. The chemical structure of BZ-BPH was confirmed by ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR analyses. The curing behavior was investigated with DSC, FTIR, TGA, and rheology techniques. The monomer manifested a two-stage thermal polymerization pattern. The first stage was attributed to the ring-opening polymerization of benzoxazine moiety, and the second to the polymerization of phthalonitriles. Study about the effect of the catalysts including 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone and FeCl₃ on the polymerization of BZ-BPH was performed, and the result indicated that the addition of these agents could increase the curing rate and lower the curing temperature. Additionally, the cured product showed excellent thermal and thermo-oxidative stability, the high char yield was 76.0% by weight at 800°C in nitrogen atmosphere and 81.2% by weight at 600°C in air, and temperature at 5% weight loss (T_5%) in nitrogen and air was 477.9°C and 481.7°C, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010