Novel functionalized isocyanate groups polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes/epoxy composites with advanced thermal and moisture resistance properties

Abstract

AbstractThe rapid development of the electronic packaging industry has necessitated the production of epoxy resin insulation materials with high heat resistance and low water absorption. In this study a new cross‐linking composite composed of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) functionalized with isocyanate groups and epoxy resin (EP) containing phenolic hydroxyl groups. By employing an isocyanate‐hydroxyl process, the cage structure of Ph7POSS with isocyanate functionalization (MP) can be suspended on EP, leading to a significant improvement in the thermal and moisture resistance of the MP/EP composite. Our DSC and TGA studies revealed that the addition of 3% MP to the epoxy resin increased the glass transition temperature by 27.1°C and raised the initial thermal breakdown temperature to 334.5°C. We also utilized a novel quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique to continuously monitor the moisture resistance of the composite, and our results showed that the composite absorbed only 0.03% of water. Moreover, the porosity and cross‐linking of the POSS molecules further restricted the movement of the polymer chains, thereby reducing the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the composite. Consequently, the MP‐modified epoxy composites exhibit excellent properties, which suggest promising applications in the field of electronic packaging.