Aromatic Thermosetting coPolyester Composites for High Temperature and Cryogenic Applications

Advanced composite materials processable by cost-effective manufacturing play an important role in developing lightweight structures for future exploratory missions. With growing demand for improved mission performance and reductions vehicle mass, advances in polymer systems with extreme thermo-mechanical properties are critical. The primary objective of ATSP Innovations' Phase I work will be to fabricate and test low cost aromatic thermosetting copolyesters (ATSP): (1) for high performance composite structures for high temperature applications, (2) with high resistance to microcracking at cryogenic temperatures for use in next generation spacecraft missions. Our team partner, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will assist ATSP Innovations to perform advanced characterization and provide technical support for this project. ATSP Innovations and UIUC have developed ATSP for high performance composites that are stable at high temperatures and have an intrinsic resistance to microcracking. The liquid crystallinity of the polymer results in a local matching of CTE between fiber and matrix yielding minimal thermal residual stress in composites and higher fracture toughness than current resin systems. These capabilities allow the ATSP to address a wide range of current and future applications (at both cryogenic and high temperature regimes) critical to future NASA missions. The synthetic development of ATSP was a major innovation in the field of polymer science. ATSP shows excellent performance as adhesives, flame resistant foams, and tribological wear coatings. ATSP resins possess the unique attribute among high temperature thermosets of solid-state bonding in a fully cured state to produce chemically contiguous specimens by Interchain Transesterification Reaction (ITR). This may open new modes of fabrication with relevance to NASA missions and the wider aerospace industry.

If successful, ATSP Innovations envisions that ATSP materials will be utilized in a wide variety of NASA spacecraft and aircraft applications, both as a retrofit and as a next-generation advanced composite material in future aerospace designs. The high temperature ATSP can be used in the aerospace field as a replacement for metallic components in many propulsion applications where temperatures are beyond operating conditions of conventional polymeric resins. Such applications cover many parts on and around the aero-engine and several airframe structural components in high speed transport aircraft. In addition, use of a drastically lighter composite cryogenic fuel tanks, which are used on essentially all of the approximately 80 orbital launches annually, may make significant savings in propellant rockets. ATSP Innovations will contribute significantly to technological development for growing polymer composites for this wide range of applications.

ATSP Innovations would also work with the Air Force and other DOD agencies as well as major aircraft and spacecraft companies for this technology. The impact of this new polymer could also extend into multiple areas and applications such as structural composites in commercial automobiles, low dielectric constant circuit boards for microelectronics, wear resistant coatings, rigid structural foams and ablative material for reentry vehicles. An attractive feature of this technology is the potential for recycling, which is very unique for a thermosetting polymer matrix.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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