Cost Effective Surface‐Modified Basalt Fibers‐Reinforced Phthalonitrile Composites With Improved Mechanical Properties and Advanced Nuclear Shielding Efficiency

This work relates for the first time ever the use of natural fibers to reinforce the high performance phthalonitrile resins. The excellent thermal stability of the basalt fibers (BFs) allows them to be the only natural fibers resisting the high curing temperatures of the phthalonitrile resins. Based on this promising combination, high performance polymer composites were prepared and their performances were scrutinized in terms of mechanical properties and nuclear shielding efficiency. The BFs which initially underwent a silane surface modification provided materials with metal equivalent tensile and flexural properties. For instance, the composite containing 15 plies of treated fibers achieved the tensile and flexural strengths of 700 and 780 MPa, respectively. Additionally, the same composite stopped 36% of the incident highly ionizing gamma rays. Meanwhile, morphological investigations further confirmed the enhancement seen in the mechanical properties. Overall, the studied composites can be used as advanced materials in extremely exigent applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E912–E919, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers