Processing of Fibre Reinforced Polymers by Controlled Radical Induced Cationic Frontal Polymerisation

Radical Induced Cationic Frontal Polymerisation (RICFP) has recently been proposed as a promising strategy for processing of epoxide carbon fibre reinforced polymers. Control of the local heat balance is crucial towards the production of industrial-quality composites, which is typically achieved via controlling the heat generation. In this work we present a comprehensive overview of RICFP processing of cycloaliphatic epoxide composites with enhance heat insulation. The thermal initiating compound was identified as the main component to control heat generation, which correlated well with the front velocity. A processing window was defined as function of the fibre and initiator contents and composites with to 45.8% Vf were successfully produced. Optimisation of resulting mechanical properties was made possible by optimisation of the heat balance, with matrix glass transition temperatures of up to 187°C achieved for the used cycloaliphatic system. Post-curing was found beneficial to overcome suggested inhomogeneous curing due to the dual-scale nature of fabrics.