Cyanate ester composites to improve thermal performance: a review

The advent of space exploration and high‐speed civil transport has prompted the development of polymeric materials that can endure extreme environments. Cyanate ester (CE) is a commonly used thermoset matrix for high‐temperature applications in aerospace and defense applications. CE has high glass transition temperature (>200 °C), low moisture absorption, low coefficient of thermal expansion and is extremely thermally stable. Various additives have been reported in the literature to improve thermal stability of the matrix further to prolong the life of parts manufactured from CE. In this review, we survey various inorganic additives based on silica, clay, boron and phosphorus reported in the literature to improve the thermal properties of CE. We also discuss the thermal stability improvement mechanisms for these CE–inorganic hybrids.