The combination of DOPO and 2-aminobenzothiazole (ABZ) was designed to develop P/N/S-containing flame retardant DOPO-ABZ, and its chemical structure was confirmed by HRMS, FTIR, and 1H and 31P NMR. The reduced thermal stability of EP/DOPO-ABZ formulations was found through DSC and TGA, as compared to that of EP. Fire properties were evaluated by LOI, UL-94, and cone calorimeter tests, respectively. The results indicated that DOPO-ABZ imparted flame retardance to EP, and that EP/7.5 wt % DOPO-ABZ passed the V-0 rating, and acquired a LOI value of 33.5%; moreover, when the loading of DOPO-ABZ increased to 10 wt %, it could further suppress the heat release and smoke release of the curved epoxy resin. Finally, the flame-retardant mechanism was studied by TG-FTIR and py-GC/MS, disclosing that DOPO-ABZ exerted predominant gaseous-phase activity of fire inhibition via generating phosphorus-containing free radicals and nitrogen/sulfur-containing volatiles.

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