Thermal decomposition, combustion and flame‐retardancy of epoxy resins—a review of the recent literature

Abstract An overview of the recent literature on combustion and flame‐retardancy of epoxy resins is presented. A brief overview of the structures of cured epoxy resins is also presented as a background for better understanding of the thermal decomposition and combustion phenomena. The literature sources were mostly taken from the publications of 1995 and later; however, for basic descriptions of the structural and thermal decomposition principles, older publications are also cited. New developments in flame‐retardant additives, epoxy monomers and curing agents are described. It is shown that the main attention in recent years has been focused on phosphorus‐containing epoxy monomers and epoxy resins. Silicon‐containing or nitrogen‐containing products and inorganic additives remain of great interest as supplementary materials to phosphorus flame‐retardants. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry