Effect of Fe₃O₄‐doped sepiolite on the flammability and thermal degradation properties of epoxy composites

Abstract

As‐received sepiolite/epoxy systems and Fe3O4‐doped sepiolite/epoxy systems were prepared, and the contents of sepiolite and Fe3O4‐doped sepiolite were kept as 2 and 4 wt%, respectively. Compared with sepiolite, the effect of Fe3O4‐doped sepiolite on the flame retardancy, combustion properties, thermal degradation, thermal degradation kinetics and thermomechanical properties of epoxy resin was investigated systematically by limiting oxygen index (LOI), cone calorimeter (Cone), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Some interesting results had been acquired. The addition of sepiolite decreased heat release rate, total smoke production and smoke production rate, and obviously improved LOI values of epoxy composites. Compared with sepiolite, the addition of Fe3O4‐doped sepiolite further reduced parameters mentioned above of epoxy composites, and further enhanced LOI values and char residues after cone test. There might be a synergistic effect between sepiolite and Fe3O4 on flame retardant epoxy composite. TGA results indicated that the addition of sepiolite had a slight effect on the thermal degradation of epoxy composites; however, the addition of Fe3O4‐doped sepiolite accelerated the thermal degradation of epoxy composites. DMA results showed that the addition of both sepiolite and Fe3O4‐doped sepiolite increased the glass transition temperature (Tg) of epoxy composite. The results obtained in this paper supplied an effective solution for developing excellent flame retardant properties of polymeric materials. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks‐8 modified graphene as a green flame retardant for reducing the fire risk of epoxy resin

“…Epoxy resin (EP) is an organic compound which contains 2 or more epoxy groups in a molecular structure. Because of its good physical and chemical properties, easy forming and operation, it is widely used in coatings, adhesives, construction, electronics, aerospace, and many other fields . However, EP is easy to burn in air, and a large amount of poisonous and harmful gases will be produced in its combustion process, which will cause serious harm to the human body and environment, so its application is limited.…”

Investigation of Fire Protection Performance and Mechanical Properties of Thin-Ply Bio-Epoxy Composites

“…In addition to mechanical performance, flammability remains a key concern for polymer and polymer composites in transportation applications. A variety of flame-retardant epoxies are available which rely on chemical flame-retardant agents or inorganic fillers [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Halogen-free flame-retardant agents are becoming increasingly common and, amongst these, expandable graphite (EG) plays an increasingly important role [ 12 ].…”

Synergistic flame‐retardant effect and mechanisms of boron/phosphorus compounds on epoxy resins

“…Unfortunately, the flammability of EPs severely restricts their application in the field of flame‐retarded materials . To expand their application in this field, many studies have been performed to improve the flame retardancy of EPs through the addition of various flame retardants . So far, phosphorus‐containing flame retardants are considered to be more environmentally friendly and have attracted more attention than halogen‐based flame retardants in the research field of flame‐retardant EPs …”

“…[6][7][8] To expand their application in this field, many studies have been performed to improve the flame retardancy of EPs through the addition of various flame retardants. 9,10 So far, phosphorus-containing flame retardants are considered to be more environmentally friendly and have attracted more attention than halogen-based flame retardants in the research field of flame-retardant EPs. 11,12 Among these phosphorus-containing compounds, 9,10-dihydro-9oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) and its derivatives are the most commonly used flame retardants for EPs due to their dramatic flame-retardant efficiency.…”