Fish DNA-modified clays: Towards highly flame retardant polymer nanocomposite with improved interfacial and mechanical performance

Abstract

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) has been recently found to be an efficient renewable and environmentally-friendly flame retardant. In this work, for the first time, we have used waste DNA from fishing industry to modify clay structure in order to increase the clay interactions with epoxy resin and take benefit of its additional thermal property effect on thermo-physical properties of epoxy-clay nanocomposites. Intercalation of DNA within the clay layers was accomplished in a one-step approach confirmed by FT-IR, XPS, TGA, and XRD analyses, indicating that d-space of clay layers was expanded from ~1.2 nm for pristine clay to ~1.9 nm for clay modified with DNA (d-clay). Compared to epoxy nanocomposite containing 2.5%wt of Nanomer I.28E organoclay (m-clay), it was found that at 2.5%wt d-clay loading, significant enhancements of ~14%, ~6% and ~26% in tensile strength, tensile modulus, and fracture toughness of epoxy nanocomposite can be achieved, respectively. Effect of DNA as clay modifier on thermal performance of epoxy nanocomposite containing 2.5%wt d-clay was evaluated using TGA and cone calorimetry analysis, revealing significant decreases of ~4000 kJ/m2 and ~78 kW/m2 in total heat release and peak of heat release rate, respectively, in comparison to that containing 2.5%wt of m-clay.

A renewable bio-based epoxy resin with improved mechanical performance that can compete with DGEBA

“…7,8 Thermoset polymers are widely utilized in a wide range of applications e.g., coatings, adhesives, and composites. [9][10][11] However, a signicant AMOUNT of research and development is dedicated to replacing DGEBA with more environmentally friendly alternatives. 11 This is because of the fact that more than 67% of the molar mass of DGEBA is strongly dependent on fossil sources.…”

“…[9][10][11] However, a signicant AMOUNT of research and development is dedicated to replacing DGEBA with more environmentally friendly alternatives. 11 This is because of the fact that more than 67% of the molar mass of DGEBA is strongly dependent on fossil sources. 2 Moreover, bisphenol A (BPA) which is the raw material used in production of DGEBA has deleterious impacts on human health and environment, and it has also been proven that it can be toxic regarding living organisms and acts as an endocrine disruptor.…”

Alumina nanoflake‐coated graphene nanohybrid as a novel flame retardant filler for polypropylene

“…The incorporation of low amount of nanomaterials results in significant reduction in peak heat release rate (PHRR) . Montmorillonite is a typical flame retardant nanomaterial, attributing to barrier and catalytic charring effects . Catalytic carbonization actions of acidic nanomaterials, such as zeolite, organic montmorillonite, zirconium phosphate, and boron phosphate, have been confirmed in the previous studies .…”

A Hydrothermal-Assisted Ball Milling Approach for Scalable Production of High-Quality Functionalized MoS2 Nanosheets for Polymer Nanocomposites

“…At higher loading of additives, similar to other types of nanomaterials, agglomeration of MoS 2 and weak interfacial adhesion would have a devastating effect on the composite properties. Furthermore, these formed agglomerations can lead to interference with cross-linking reactions [72,73]. In another research, the surface of MoS 2 was modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and the modified nanosheets were added into the epoxy matrix using sonication-assisted solution mixing method using tetrahydrofuran as the solvent.…”