E-Beam Cured Materials for Composite Mirrors

Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG), and partner University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) will develop a suite of materials and processes as enabling technology for achieving the radical production time and cost reductions envisioned by the replication approach to producing composite mirrors for aerospace optics. CRG will formulate and demonstrate a high-performance polymer resin cured at or near room temperature via electron-beam (e-beam) processing. E-beam cure will enable exploitation of the high-performance resin (e.g., cyanate ester or bismaleimide) in precision aerospace applications such as replica optics where conventional thermal cure processes prevent its use due to thermally induced distortions. UDRI will design and demonstrate means for optimizing e-beam cure processes for epoxy resins to yield stiffness and strength compatible with some aerospace applications. UDRI will also improve epoxy-based composites' strength, stiffness, and thermal properties through incorporation of functionalized carbon nanofibers.