Hybrid phthalonitrile-based materials with advanced mechanical and nuclear shielding performances

Phthalonitrile resins as one of the leading high performance polymers are currently used in highly exigent applications. Herein, aiming to achieve the best combination of mechanical, thermal, and nuclear shielding performances, we prepared hybrid materials based on the typical phthalonitrile resin and the silane surface modified chopped carbon fibers and tungsten carbide nanoparticles. The obtained results suggested that a synergistic combination between the three constituent was clearly achieved leading to excellent mechanical and gamma rays shielding properties. For instance, the tensile and bending strengths reached up to 505 and 584 MPa for the composite containing 20 and 30 wt% of carbon fibers and tungsten carbide nanoparticles, respectively. Similarly, the gamma rays screening ratio also reached the exceptional value of 39% for the same 2 cm thick hybrid. Finally, the as such described hybrid materials proved that a multi-approach strategy is often the best solution to achieve the requirements of highly exigent applications.