Hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene is a ring compound consisting of an alternating phosphorus and nitrogen atom with two chlorine substituents attached to the phosphorus atom. The six chlorine atoms attached to this cyclo compound can be substituted with any different nucleophile that leads to changes in different chemical and physical properties. The major topics that were investigated in this research are the flame retardancy and dielectric properties of cyclotriphosphazene compounds. Cyclotriphosphazene compounds have high potential to act as a flame retardant, and this compound consists of two active elements attributed to its high flame-retardant character. This compound also demonstrated good ability as a flame retardant due to its low toxicity and less smoke produced. In addition, cyclotriphosphazene compounds were also investigated for their dielectric properties. Cyclotriphosphazene has high potential in the electrical field since it has dielectric properties that can be widely studied in the investigation of any potential application. This review presented literature studies focused on recent research development and studies in the field of cyclotriphosphazene that focused on synthesis, structural, flame retardancy, and dielectric properties of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene compounds.

A series of compounds with Schiff base and ester linking units attached to the electron-withdrawing side arm (Cl, NO2, and OH) have been successfully synthesized through four schemes of the chemical route. These compounds were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen (CHN) elemental analysis. The epoxy resin was used as a matrix of molding to observe the refinement of fire-retardant properties of the modified cyclotriphosphazene compounds. The fire-retardant testing was done using Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI). The LOI value of pure epoxy resin was increased from 22.75% to 24.71% when incorporated with 1 wt.% of hexasubstituted cyclotriphosphazene (HCCP). Interestingly, all the final compounds gave a positive increment in the LOI value and the highest LOI value was obtained from the compound containing a nitro side arm with LOI value of 26.90%. In order to understand the thermal stability of these compounds, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was carried out. The compound with the nitro group at the terminal end has the highest char residue which is 34.2% at 700 °C. This indicated that the presence of the nitro withdrawing group was able to enhance the fire retardancy of the materials. Based on SEM observation, the shape of the final compound’s char residue demonstrated the formation of a porous protective layer with a dense surface. The dielectric property was conducted according to ASTM D149 AC breakdown voltage to determine its dielectric strength. The results showed that the highest dielectric strength value belonged to the compound containing a nitro group side arm with 24.41 kV/mm−1 due to the π electron delocalization.