Synthesis and Characterization of DOPO Modified Tetraglycidyl Eugenol Cyclic Siloxane Resins Cured with Tannic Acid

Abstract

In this work, a tetra glycidyl eugenol cyclic siloxane resin (TGED₄) is synthesized, then further modified with 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenathrene-10-oxide (DOPO) to produce Si and P epoxy resins. After blending with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and curing with tannic acid (TA), high performance, fire-retardant polymer networks are created. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) confirms the networks are highly cured and have low extractable content, while dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) displays a lower T_g and heterogeneous network with increasing DOPO. The networks display a maximum improvement in flexural modulus, strength, and strain to failure of 20.6%, 55.5%, and 78.8% respectively, and at 65.4 MPa strength and 2.8 GPa modulus are comparable to high-performance networks. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that increasing P reduces thermal stability, but contributes to higher char yield despite lower Si. The fire retardancy improve markedly measured via limiting oxygen index (LOI), increasing from 26.5% to a maximum of 35.5%, while V-0 behavior is readily achieved at the lowest DOPO content. Cone colorimetry further reduces peak heat release rate (PHHR) and total heat release rate (THHR) by 28% and 42%. This work presents hybrid bio-derived epoxy resins with excellent fire retardancy and good mechanical properties.