A novel flame retardant of spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphorate for epoxy resins

Abstract A novel flame retardant for epoxy resins, bisdiglycol spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphorate (BDSPBP) was synthesized from the reaction of diglycol with spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphorate diphosphoryl chloride, which was obtained from the reaction of phosphoryl chloride with pentaerythritol. Flammability of the cured epoxy resin systems consisted of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), low‐molecular‐weight polyamide and BDSPBP are investigated by vertical burning test (UL‐94) and limiting oxygen index test (LOI). The results indicate that BDSPBP has good flame retardance on epoxy. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that the epoxy resin containing BDSPBP has a high yield of residual char at high temperatures, indicating that BDSPBP is an effective charring agent. From the SEM observations of the residues of the flame retardant systems burned, the compact charred layers can be seen, which form protective shields to protect effectively internal structure, and inhibit the transmission of heat and heat diffusion during contacting fire. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4978–4982, 2006