Interface engineering of MXene containing phosphorus towards for enhancing the flame retardance and toughness of epoxy resins

Empowering nanoparticles with multifunctionality through interface engineering technology has always been a research hotspot. In this work, a modified MXene (named MXene-DA) with high flame-retardant efficiency was successfully synthesized and used to prepare multifunctional epoxy resin (EP) composites. By adding just 2 wt% of MXene-DA, the limiting oxygen index of EP was increased from 21 % to 29.3 %, the peak heat release was decreased by 48.4 %, and the glass transition temperature was increased by 5 °C compared with EP. In addition, MXene-DA exhibited a significant toughening effect, resulting in a 155.4 % increase in the impact strength of EP containing 1 wt% MXene-DA. Compared with MXene, the introduction of phosphorous compound not only enhanced the physical barrier effect of MXene but also improved the gas-phase flame suppression effect. This work further validates the feasibility of preparing flame-retardant high-performance polymer materials by adding organically modified MXene, and provides a valuable experimental basis for the structural optimization of modified MXene in the next step.