Inorganic–organic hybrid coating‐encapsulated ammonium polyphosphate and its flame retardancy and water resistance in epoxy resin

SUMMARY A novel encapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (APP) with an inorganic–organic hybrid coating (MAPP) was prepared by a sol–gel method using tetraethoxysilane and octyltriethoxysilane as precursors. The properties of MAPP were investigated by water solubility, hydrophobicity, and morphological determination. The structure of MAPP was characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The flame retardancy of epoxy resin composite with MAPP was evaluated by limiting oxygen index, UL‐94 test, and cone calorimetry test. The results showed that both tetraethoxysilane and octyltriethoxysilane hydrolyze and condense to form a dense polysiloxane layer structure on the surface of APP. The water solubility of MAPP was reduced from 0.64 to 0.13 g/100 mL of water, and the water resistance of epoxy resin composites filled with MAPP was also greatly improved. The limiting oxygen index, UL‐94 test, and cone calorimeter results showed that the epoxy resin composites filled with MAPP had better flame retardancy, probably because of a synergistic effect between polysiloxane and APP. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.