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Effects of lignin-based flame retardants on flame-retardancy and insulation performances of epoxy resin composites

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Abstract

It is of great interest and remains a challenge to simultaneously improve the compatibility and flame-retardant performance of lignin/epoxy resin (EP) composites. In this work, a polysiloxane-enwrapped phosphorus-containing lignin-based flame retardant (PHMS-lig-P) was prepared through reactions of lignin, PHMS and TCP to address this issue, with results showing significantly improved flame-retardant performance and comprehensive performance. The influence of PHMS-lig-P on the flame retardancy of EP was investigated by vertical burning test (UL-94V), limiting oxygen index (LOI), smoke density test and cone calorimeter (CC) test. The PHMS-lig-P/EP achieved a V-1 rating, and its LOI value increased to 25.3%. The maximum smoke density (Ds,max) decreased by 83.2%. Furthermore, pHRR, avHRR, and MLR of PHMS-lig-P/EP decreased by 37.5%, 22.6%, and 25.1%, respectively. In addition, the evolved gases and char residues were studied using thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TG-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results certified the flame-retardant mechanism of PHMS-lig-P was attributed to the synergistic effect of lignin, phosphonate, and polysiloxane, producing a compact and cohesive char layer that acted as a physical barrier, limiting the transfer of heat and oxygen and preventing the spread of pyrolysis volatiles and flammable gases. Moreover, the flame-retarded epoxy resin possessed good dispersion uniformity in mechanical properties and insulation performance, showing good applicability.

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Acknowledgements

We thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Lab for Fine Processing of Resources and Advanced Materials of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, Hunan, China

    Chaohua Li, Bikui Wang, Longjing Zhou, Xi Hou & Shengpei Su

  2. Hunan Key Laboratory of Near-Space Meteo-Ballon Materials and Technology, Zhuzhou, 412000, Hunan, China

    Chaohua Li

  3. National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petrochemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, Hunan, China

    Bikui Wang, Longjing Zhou, Xi Hou & Shengpei Su

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  1. Chaohua Li
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Correspondence to Shengpei Su.

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Li, C., Wang, B., Zhou, L. et al. Effects of lignin-based flame retardants on flame-retardancy and insulation performances of epoxy resin composites. Iran Polym J 31, 949–962 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-022-01052-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-022-01052-w

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