Electrostatic-Interaction-Driven Assembly of Binary Hybrids towards Fire-Safe Epoxy Resin Nanocomposites.

Lu Liu,Libi Fu,Yongqian Shi,Lulu Xu,Bin Yu,Wei Wang

doi:10.3390/polym11020229

Abstract

Manganese dioxide (MnO2), as a promising green material, has recently attracted considerable attention of researchers from various fields. In this work, a facile method was introduced to prepare binary hybrids by fabricating three-dimensional (3D) zinc hydroxystannate (ZHS) cubes on two-dimensional (2D) MnO2 nanosheets towards excellent flame retardancy and toxic effluent elimination of epoxy (EP) resin. Microstructural analysis confirmed that the morphologies and structures of MnO2@ZHS binary hybrids were well characterized, implying the successful synthesis. Additionally, the morphological characterization indicated that MnO2@ZHS binary hybrids could achieve satisfactory interfacial interaction with the EP matrix and be well dispersed in nanocomposites. Cone calorimeter test suggested that MnO2@ZHS binary hybrids effectively suppressed the peak of heat release rate and total heat release of EP nanocomposites, performing better than MnO2 or ZHS alone. Condensed-phase analysis revealed that MnO2@ZHS binary hybrids could promote the char density and graphitization degree of char residues and thereby successfully retard the permeation of oxygen and flammable gases. Moreover, through the analysis of gas phase, it can be concluded that MnO2@ZHS binary hybrids could efficiently suppress the production of toxic gases during the degradation of EP nanocomposites. This work implies that the construction of 2D/3D binary hybrids with an interfacial interaction is an effective way to fabricate high-performance flame retardants for EP.

Highlights

Epoxy resin (EP), one of the most important thermosetting polymers, has been widely used in the fields of furniture coatings [1], circuit boarding [2], aeronautical material [3], and so forth [4,5,6]in virtue of its excellent mechanical properties, outstanding optical property, glorious resistance to solvent and chemical corrosion, and high climate resistance
MnO2@zinc hydroxystannate (ZHS) binary hybrid, and the morphologies of the MnO2 nanosheets and their hybrid are with large surface area, and the wrinkle belonging to the layers can be obviously observed
XRD, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and XPS results confirmed the successful synthesis of MnO2 @ZHS binary hybrids

Summary

Introduction

Epoxy resin (EP), one of the most important thermosetting polymers, has been widely used in the fields of furniture coatings [1], circuit boarding [2], aeronautical material [3], and so forth [4,5,6]in virtue of its excellent mechanical properties, outstanding optical property, glorious resistance to solvent and chemical corrosion, and high climate resistance. It is well known that smoke and toxic gases are the main reasons for death in fire accidents. To meet fire safety regulations and expand the use of EP in the fields that require flame resistance, a significant number of flame-retardant techniques for EP resins are developed. Some kinds of flame retardants have been gradually forbidden in most countries, due to toxic gases, such as hydrogen cyanide, contained in the pyrolysis products during the combustion process [7,8]. 2 and MnO2@ZHS binary hybrid, (b) the high-resolution Zn. 6. (a).XPS survey spectra ofof 2 and MnO2 @ZHS binary hybrid, (b) the high-resolution Zn. 2@ZHS binary hybrid, (d) O1s spectra of MnO2 and MnO2@ZHS. Binary hybrid, the deconvoluted O1s spectra of (e) MnO2 and (f) MnO2 @ZHS binary hybrid 2p3, and spectra of MnO binary hybrid, (d) O1s spectra of MnO2 and MnO2 @ZHS binary hybrid, the deconvoluted O1s spectra of (e) MnO2 and (f) MnO2@ZHS binary hybrid.

Methods

Results

Conclusion