Mechanically reinforced and flame-retardant epoxy resin nanocomposite based on molecular engineering of POSS

The existing flame retardants are extensively utilized for epoxy resin (EP) in the field of engineering materials with good flame retardancy. Nevertheless, their introduction often brings a substantial decrease in mechanical properties of EP. To tackle this challenge, a multifunctional nano flame-retardant (PoDOH) that is designed to enhance both the flame-retardant and mechanical properties for EP simultaneously was synthesized in this study. The results demonstrate that for EP-10 %, its hardness increased by 34.8 %, and Young's modulus increased by 25.4 %, respectively, owing to the strong interfacial interaction among EP and PoDOH derived from the ring-opening reaction. Moreover, the synergistic action of the various flame retardant elements present in PoDOH imparts excellent flame retardancy to EP-10 % (V-0 rating, LOI = 32.6 % and PHRR decreased by 48.82 %). These findings indicate that PoDOH holds great potential as a versatile and efficient flame retardant for manufacturing high-performance EP.