Phosphorus-containing epoxy for flame retardant. I. Synthesis, thermal, and flame-retardant properties

A new phosphorus-containing oxirane, bis-(3-glycidyloxy)phenylphosphine oxide (BGPPO), was synthesized. Further curing BGPPO with diamine curing agents, dicyanodiamide (DICY), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS), respectively, resulted in several phosphorylated epoxy resins. Compared with Epon 828, Eponex 1015, and DER 732, BGPPO showed relatively high reactivity toward diamine agents via DSC studies. Furthermore, the reactivity of the three curing agents toward BGPPO were found to be in the order of DDM > DICY > DDS. Thermal stability and the weight loss behavior of the cured polymers were studied by TGA. The phosphorylated resins showed lower weight loss temperatures and higher char yields than did the Epon 828-based resins. The high char yields as well as high limited oxygen index (LOI) values of the BGPPO-based resins confirmed the effectiveness of phosphorus-containing epoxy resins as flame retardants. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.