Aluminum-organophosphorus hybrid nanorods for simultaneously enhancin the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of epoxy resin

摘要

New aluminum-organophosphorus hybrid nanorods (AOPH-NR) have been prepared by reacting aluminum hydroxide (ATH) with dibenzylphosphinic acid (DBPA) with aluminum hydroxide (ATH) and used to prepare nanocomposites with epoxy resin. In order to determine the structure-property relationship of these composites, several other phosphinic acids of the general formula (R (CH2)_n)2POOH (R = ester, allyl, nitrile, n = 1 or 2), and corresponding AOPHs were synthesized. FTIR, Raman, TGA, and XRD examinations showed that only AOPH-NR possesses a highly hybrid structure and high thermostability. SEM and TEM confirmed the nanorod morphology of AOPH-NR. The formation mechanism can be described as a decomposing-reforming process. This characteristic causes AOPH-NR to exhibit superior properties. Limiting oxygen index (LOI) determination and cone calorimeter analysis showed that the incorporation of only 4.25 wt% AOPH-NR remarkably improved the LOI value to as much as 28.0 and led to a 23% reduction in peak heat release rate (PHRR). Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) indicated that the mechanical properties of epoxy resin were also improved by incorporating AOPH-NR. In this way, the aluminum-organophosphorus hybridization via reacting ATH with specific organophosphinic acids shows promise as a means of improving flame retardancy and mechanical properties simultaneously. The thermal and anti-flaming properties of composites, combined with the properties of AOPHs, allowed us to discover the important role that the release and migration of phosphorus species plays in fire-retarding materials. This provides a new insight into the design of high-performance flame retardants.