Abstract
A novel phosphorus-siloxane containing liquid flame retardant epoxy resin was synthesized and incorporated into an epoxy amine network, maintaining low viscosity and rapid cure characteristics, good mechanical and thermal properties, and affording excellent flame retardancy at low concentration. The synthesized flame retardant incorporated a tetra-functional glycidyl ether cyclosiloxane substructure which was substituted with two DOPO segments to obtain a liquid bi-functional flame-retardant epoxy resin (BGTS-DOPO). At only 10 wt% BGTS-DOPO, the modified epoxy amine resin had a viscosity of less than 210 mPa s at 90 °C, gelled rapidly at 150 °C, (9.3 min at 150 °C), exhibited a Tg of 198.7 (extrapolated onset of E’) and 233.0 °C (tan δ max), and possessed improved flexural strength (4.5 %), modulus (4.1 %), strain (7.7 %) and fracture toughness (26.1 %). The self-extinguishing behaviour easily achieved a UL-94 V0 rating, exhibited a maximum limiting oxygen index of 36.7 %, while cone calorimetry produced a 24 % improvement in combustion behaviour of the carbon fibre composite. Presented here therefore is a new highly fire-retardant epoxy resin system that exhibited fast cure, low viscosity and excellent mechanical and thermal properties.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call