Epoxy composites with excellent anticorrosive, flame-retardant, and mechanical properties were realized by uniform capping of MXene with o-vanillin-based ZIFs nanorods by in situ growth

Preparing multifunctional epoxy resin composites with excellent flame retardancy and long-lasting anti-corrosion properties has always been a huge challenge. In this study, we used o -vanillin-based ZIFs to coat multilayered MXene nanosheets in situ to obtain MXene@ZIF nanohybrid materials and subsequently prepared epoxy composites with excellent flame-retardant properties, long-lasting corrosion-resistant properties, and excellent mechanical properties. It was shown that in situ capping with o -vanillin-based ZIFs significantly enhanced the defects of MXene lamellae and improved their dispersion in the matrix. When the MXene@ZIF content was only 3 wt%, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of EP/MXene@ZIF increased to 28.6 %, and compared with pure EP, its total heat release and total smoke release were reduced by 32.2 % and 16.2 %, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and salt spray testing showed that the epoxy composite coating incorporating MXene@ZIF nanosheets had excellent long-term anti-corrosion properties. Even after soaking in 3.5 % NaCl solution for 2400 h, the epoxy composite coating still maintained an impedance value of 1.47 × 10 8 Ω cm 2 . In addition, the mechanical properties of EP/MXene@ZIF were also significantly enhanced. All in all, this study provides a multifunctional modification strategy for epoxy resin via a single filler, expanding the application prospects of epoxy resin composites in different fields.