Synthesis of new phosphorous-containing flame retardant and the properties of flame retardant epoxy resins

Purpose The epoxy resins need to be added with flame retardant to ensure safety in practical applications. There were a lot of highly toxic substances in the flame retardant used in the past, which caused greater harm to human body and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to propose a research on the synthesis of new phosphorous-containing flame retardant and the properties of flame retardant epoxy resins. Design/methodology/approach The flame retardant intermediate DOPO was synthesized using o-phenylphenol as the substrate. The intermediate was mixed with D4Vi under certain conditions to synthesize a new phosphorous-containing flame retardant. The flame retardant was added to the epoxy resins to prepare the flame retardant epoxy resins. Findings The experimental results show that the synthetic new phosphorous-containing flame retardant is far less harmful than the flame retardant used in the past and has extremely low toxicity, which is suitable for use in practical projects. Originality/value The new phosphorus-containing flame retardant synthesized by forms a more uniform and dense carbon layer in the combustion process, which well protects the underlying materials, thus improving the flame retardancy of epoxy resin materials. The harm of the new phosphorus-containing flame retardant is far less than that of ordinary flame retardant. The flame retardant used in the past has very low toxicity and is suitable for practical engineering.