Abstract: Poly(fluorene ether ketone) (PFEK) with pendant propenyl groups was dissolved in a bismaleimide (BMI) resin composed of 4,4-bismaleimidodiphenyl methane (BMDM) and DABPA without using any solvent. The solution was self-cured at a high temperature forming an interpenetrating network which gave a single endothermic peak on a DSC curve. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the system did not decrease with the increase of PFEK, which rendered the system a good thermal stability. Compared with neat BMI resin, the impact strength was elevated from 9.0 to 15.2 kJ/m2 by 10 phr PFEK. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of fracture surface revealed that the material had a good interfacial adhesion.

Key words: bismaleimide, diallylbisphenol A, toughness, reactive poly(arylene ether ketone)