A Phosphorus/Nitrogen/Boron-Containing Reactive Single-Component Flame Retardant for Enhancing the Flame Retardancy and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Resin

The preparation of epoxy resin (EP) with both excellent flame retardancy and mechanical properties is of great significance. In this study, a phosphorus/nitrogen/boron-containing reactive flame retardant, PBA, was successfully synthesized and incorporated into EP. The results indicate that PBA effectively enhances the fire resistance and suppresses smoke generation in EP. When the PBA loading was 6 wt%, the EP composites achieved a V-0 rating in the vertical burning test. The peak heat release rate and the total heat release decreased by 65.7% and 49.5%, respectively, while the peak smoke release rate and the total smoke release were reduced by 26.8% and 45.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, compared with pure EP samples, the EP samples containing 3 wt% PBA exhibited increases in tensile strength, elongation at break, and impact strength by approximately 12.2%, 31.5%, and 68.7%, respectively. This study provides an approach for preparing EP with a combination of flame-retardant and mechanical properties.