Improving the flame retardancy of epoxy resin by incorporating a bio-based flame retardant and kaolinite

In this work, a bio-based flame retardant (V-Cc-PP) is obtained from vanillin and phytic acid (PA) to address epoxy resin (EP)' flame retardancy by replaced the intumescent flame retardants (IFR) used in industries. It indicated that V-Cc-PP effectively enhanced compatibility and flame retardancy vis-à-vis IFR, yielding self-extinguishing capability. The inclusion of 4.0 wt% V-Cc-PP improved the fire resistance of EP composites, with an effective 34.2% declined in the peak heat release rate (pHRR) vis-à-vis neat EP. The pHRR value decreased further to 38.6% for the composite of EP/3.2wt% V-Cc-PP composite containing 0.8wt% Kaol. The char residues and thermal stability of the EP/3.2wt% V-Cc-PP/0.8wt% Kaol composite were superior to EP and its other composites, whether in N2 or air atmosphere. Crucially, the mechanism of flame retardancy for the EP composite containing V-Cc-PP/Kaol was thoroughly analyzed via TGA-FTIR, FITR, Raman, SEM, and XPS techniques. This work provided an efficient bio-based flame retardant by utilizing vanillin and PA in EP composite for important appliances.