Performance Introduction of High TG 350°C Cyanate Ester Quartz Prepreg and Its Application in Radar Radomes

1. Product Overview

High TG 350°C cyanate ester quartz prepreg is a high-performance prepreg material made by hot-melt or solution impregnation process, using high-purity quartz fiber as the reinforcement and high-temperature resistant cyanate ester resin as the matrix. After curing, this system has ultra-high glass transition temperature (Tg ≥ 350°C), extremely low dielectric loss, excellent thermal stability and broadband wave-transparent performance, making it one of the preferred materials for high-frequency, high-temperature and high-power radar radomes.

2. Core Performance Characteristics

2.1 Ultra-high Heat Resistance and Thermal Stability

• Glass transition temperature (Tg) ≥ 350°C, long-term service temperature can reach 280～300°C, and short-term temperature resistance is higher.

• No obvious softening, thermal deformation or small molecule volatilization in high-temperature environment, with excellent dimensional stability and low linear expansion coefficient.

• It can withstand local heat flux and high-temperature impact caused by high-power radar transmission, and is not prone to ablation, delamination or performance degradation.

2.2 Excellent Dielectric and Wave-transparent Performance (Dual-low Characteristics)

• Dielectric constant (ε): 2.8～3.2 (10 GHz), close to air, with high wave-transparent efficiency.

• Loss tangent (tanδ): ≤ 0.003, much lower than epoxy, BMI and other systems, with little signal attenuation at high frequency.

• Broadband stability: The dielectric performance fluctuates slightly in the range of 1～40 GHz, suitable for high-frequency radars such as X/Ku/Ka bands.

• Low insertion loss and high transmittance: The insertion loss of a typical 4mm thick component is ＜ 0.3 dB, meeting the requirements of military high wave-transparent indicators.

2.3 Good Mechanical and Structural Performance

• Tensile strength ≥ 450 MPa, flexural strength ≥ 480 MPa, meeting the requirements of structural load-bearing and anti-deformation of radomes.

• High specific strength and low density (about 1.6～1.7 g/cm³), which is conducive to the lightweight design of radomes.

• The autoclave/vacuum bag molding process is mature, with flexible lay-up design, which can be made into thin-walled, sandwich, complex curved surface and other structures.

2.4 Low Moisture Absorption, Moisture-heat Resistance and Environmental Stability

• The cured structure of cyanate ester resin is dense, with water absorption ＜ 1.5%, and the dielectric performance changes little in wet state.

• It is resistant to high temperature and humidity, salt spray, mold and rain erosion, meets the environmental test requirements such as GJB 150, and is suitable for long-term service on ships, aircraft and outdoors.

3. Application Advantages in Radar Radomes

3.1 Meeting the Strict Requirements of High-frequency and High-power Radars

Modern radars are developing towards high frequency, high power and wide bandwidth (such as airborne fire control radar, shipborne phased array, spaceborne antenna), putting forward four core requirements for radome materials: "low dielectric, low loss, high temperature resistance and low deformation". High TG 350°C cyanate ester quartz prepreg is one of the few material systems that can meet all indicators at the same time.

3.2 Ensuring High Wave-transparency and Low Distortion of Radar Signals

• Extremely low dielectric loss significantly reduces the energy loss of electromagnetic waves in the radome, improving the radar detection range and accuracy.

• Stable dielectric constant reduces frequency dispersion and beam distortion, ensuring antenna pointing accuracy and sidelobe level control.

3.3 Adapting to High-speed Flight and Complex Environments

• High temperature resistance can withstand high-speed aerodynamic heating (up to 250～300°C), preventing the radome from thermal deformation leading to the deterioration of electrical performance.

• Excellent rain erosion resistance, impact resistance and anti-aging ability significantly extend the service life of the radome and reduce maintenance costs.

3.4 Flexible Structural Design and High Reliability

• It can be compounded with aramid honeycomb, quartz honeycomb and other core materials to make sandwich structure radomes, which have the advantages of light weight, high stiffness and high wave-transparent performance.

• The molding process is stable and the product consistency is good, which is suitable for mass production of various airborne, shipborne and ground radar radomes.

4. Typical Application Scenarios

• Airborne fire control radomes of fifth-generation/fourth-generation aircraft (X/Ku band)

• Shipborne phased array radar radomes

• Broadband radar radomes for early warning aircraft and UAVs

• High-frequency wave-transparent structural components for spaceborne/missile-borne applications

• Wave-transparent radomes for ground high-power radars, meteorological radars and radio telescopes

5. Summary

High TG 350°C cyanate ester quartz prepreg integrates ultra-high heat resistance, extremely low dielectric loss, broadband wave transparency, high structural efficiency and excellent environmental stability. It perfectly matches the extreme requirements of modern high-frequency and high-power radar radomes, is the core material solution for current high-end radar radomes, and is also an important development direction of high-performance wave-transparent composite materials in the future.