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Combination of expansible graphite and bismuth oxide for simultaneously improving the thermal behavior, fire performance and mechanical property of intumescent flame-retardant epoxy resins

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Abstract

For effectively balancing the mechanical properties and flame resistance of intumescent flame-retardant epoxy resin (EP), the flame-retardant EPs were prepared to explore the synergistic effect of expansible graphite (EG) and bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) on traditional intumescent flame retardant (IFR). The results demonstrate that IFR-EG-Bi2O3 system has better flame resistance effect than IFR-EG or IFR-Bi2O3 system. Especially, 27 wt% IFR, 1.5 wt% EG and 1.5 wt% Bi2O3 endows EP with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 28.7% and a UL94 V−0 rating, while 30 wt% IFR only imparts a LOI of 26.1% and a UL94 V−2 rating to EP. Moreover, the total heat release (THR) and total smoke release (TSR) of EP/IFR-EG-Bi2O3 composite are decreased by 18.3% and 45.0% compared to EP/IFR system. The enhanced thermal stability of EP/IFR-EG-Bi2O3 is attributed to the combination of EG and Bi2O3 that favors the retention of large amounts of aromatic structures in condensed phase. Meanwhile, replacing 3.0 wt% IFR with EG and Bi2O3 can effectively reduce the negative impact on EP matrix and achieve a better balance between mechanical properties and flame retardancy of intumescent flame-retardant EP due to the good interfacial adhesion between EG and EP and the crosslinked points formed by Bi2O3 and EP molecule.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.52276143), the Key Research and Development Program of Hunan Province (Grant No. 2021SK2054), the Science and Technology Research and Development Program Project of China railway group limited (Grant No. 2021-Special-02), and the funding of Hunan Tieyuan Civil Engineering Testing Co., Ltd (Grant No. HNTY2022K07).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering Research Center of High-speed Railway Construction Technology, Central South University, Changsha, 410075, China

    Liang Yi, Miaotian Long, Long Yan, Zhisheng Xu & Yun Li

  2. China Railway Group Limited, Beijing, 100039, China

    Liang Yi

  3. Hunan Tieyuan Civil Engineering Testing Co, Ltd, Changsha, 410075, China

    Long Yan & Yun Li

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  1. Liang Yi
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Yi, L., Long, M., Yan, L. et al. Combination of expansible graphite and bismuth oxide for simultaneously improving the thermal behavior, fire performance and mechanical property of intumescent flame-retardant epoxy resins. J Polym Res 30, 335 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-023-03718-2

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