it was believed that they are polymerized during the production. Thus, the shape and
properties of thermosetting composites cannot be altered anymore once the polymerization occurred [2]. However,
the disadvantage of thermoplastic resin is their temperature-sensitive properties. Hence, it is essential to investigate
the thermal history of thermoplastic resin and find out an effective approach by which the thermal properties can be
enhanced.
Recently, with the increasing application of composite materials in marine engineering, requirements on the
thermal performance of polymers become more stringent, and the temperature at which the composites are produced
and the effect of various additives (such as flame retardants) on the decomposition process become more important
[3]. Polymer nano-composites are considered to offer significant advantages over the conventional materials such as
the outstanding flame retardancy. Actually, it is known that nanoparticles can enhance the thermal degradation of
polymer composites and further enhance the overall mechanical performance in high temperature environment [4].
Cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) oligomers have stimulated a great interest because of their water-like
viscosity and the ability to be readily polymerized to form the engineering thermoplastic poly(butylene terephthalate)
(pCBT). Commonly, PBT resin is obtained through industrial processes based on the polycondensation of
dimethylterephthalate and 1, 4 butanediol. However, it needs two stages under controlled temperature and pressure
to get high molecular weights of PBT. As comparison, entropically-driven ring-opening polymerization of CBT into
linear high molecular weight PBT can be obtained in a shorter time scale under isothermal conditions [5-6].
Therefore, CBT oligomers represent the best alternative to polymerize PBT under milder conditions, and their ultralow
viscosity makes them well suited for numerous processes, such as composite processing [7].
The aim of the present paper is to study the thermal performance of pCBT resin with different nano-fillers.
Meanwhile, the effect of nano-particle content on the thermal stability of pCBT nano-composites is investigated
with the emphasis on finding out an effective way by which the thermal stability of pCBT polymers can be
enhanced.