Flammability and Thermo-Oxidative Decomposition of Epoxy Resin Containing Ammonium Polyphosphate and Metallic Oxide

Abstract Cured epoxy resin (EP) composites containing Ammonium Polyphosphate (APP) and metallic oxide were prepared and characterized. The flame retardancy of the composites was studied using LOI, UL 94, cone calorimeter and Laser Raman spectroscopy, etc. The data of LOI, UL 94 and cone calorimeter show that APP is a good flame retardant for EP. The LOI value of the composite containing 20 wt% APP is as high as 38.0% and its UL 94 rating is raised to V-0. The addition of APP and La2O3 leads to the formation of char layer containing smaller carbonaceous microstructures compared with that of EP. Moreover, the thermo-oxidative decomposition of EP and its composites is characterized by dynamic FTIR. Keywords: Epoxy resinammonium polyphosphatethermal decompositionflame retardancy Acknowledgements The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20776136) and the program for New Century Excellent Talents in University and National 11th Five-year Program (2006BAK01B03, 2006BAK06B06, 2006BAK06B07) is acknowledged.