Development of Hybrid Titania/Polybenzoxazine Composite for Enhance Thermomechanical, Flame Retardancy and Dielectric Properties

Polybenzoxazines (Pbzs) are a recently developed class of thermosetting polymeric materials possessing low surface free energy with nonfluorine or nonsilicon content. In the present study, a new type of Pbz-BN/TiO₂ composite was fabricated using benzoxazine monomer bis(6-phenyl diazenyl-3-phenoxy-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,3-benzoxazinyl) benzonitrile and inorganic TiO₂ fillers by a simple and inexpensive process. The thermal curing method was found to be effective for preparing superhydrophobic surfaces combining low surface energy and surface roughness. The presence of the benzonitrile group in the benzoxazine monomer paves the way for accelerating the curing of the benzoxazine monomer, as shown by the DSC analysis. The as-prepared Pbz/TiO₂ surfaces containing 5 wt% of TiO₂ generated a superhydrophobic surface exhibiting a static water contact angle (SWCA) of 146°. In addition, the effect of inorganic fillers on the thermal, mechanical and dielectric properties of the Pbz/TiO₂ composites was investigated in detail.