Structure-Property Relationships for Polycyanurate Networks Derived from Renewable Resources

Abstract : The recent synthesis of a wide variety of cyanate ester monomers that may be derived from renewable resources has created a newly available set of chemical structures that, due to a wide range of chemical features, provide a unique opportunity for the development of quantitative structure-property relationships for dicyanate esters and their polymerized networks. Specific structure-property relationships for monomer melting point, glass transition temperature at full conversion, and char yields at 600 degrees C under nitrogen and air have been developed with the aid of partial least squares methods. The predictions inherent in these structure-property relationships are examined and compared to predictions based on ordinary least squares methods. Specific predictions for the properties of two as-yet unsynthesized dicyanate ester monomers derived from renewable resources are also presented