Green fabrication of phosphocreatine intercalated layered double hydroxides for highly efficient flame-retardant epoxy nanocomposites

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Yang, Xuqi and Zhang, Shuyi and Entezar Shabestari, Marjan and Mohammadi, Abbas and Hoomehr, Bahareh and Kalali, Ehsan Naderi and Lotfian, Saeid (2026) Green fabrication of phosphocreatine intercalated layered double hydroxides for highly efficient flame-retardant epoxy nanocomposites. Polymers, 18 (9). 1118. ISSN 2073-4360 (https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18091118)

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Abstract

We co-modified layered double hydroxide (LDH) in water using phosphocreatine (PC) and dodecylphosphoric acid (DPA) to obtain a highly dispersible LDH. Embedding this LDH in epoxy enabled V-0 at 7 wt% and lowered HRR, THR and TSP, attributed to a dense char and PC-DPA synergy. SEM, WAXS, and TGA characterised the structure and thermal behaviour of the functionalised LDHs. These modified LDHs were then loaded into the epoxy resin (EP) to develop flame-retardant nanocomposites. Compared to unmodified LDH (NO3-LDH) and PC-modified LDH (PC-LDH), PC-DPA-LDH showed superior dispersion and compatibility within the epoxy matrix. As a result, PC-DPA-LDH/EP achieved a UL-94 V-0 rating at only 7 wt% loading, while NO3-LDH/EP had no rating, and PC-LDH/EP reached only V-2. Moreover, PC-DPA-LDH/EP demonstrated significant decreases in peak heat release rate (46.4%), total heat release (34.5%), and total smoke production (59.7%) compared with neat EP. These improvements were attributed to the synergistic flame-retardant effects of PC and DPA, as well as to the formation of a compact char layer that effectively insulated the underlying material and suppressed volatile emissions. This work highlights the potential of bio-based, aqueous-synthesised nanohybrids for high-efficiency, eco-friendly flame-retardant epoxy systems.

ORCID iDs

Yang, Xuqi, Zhang, Shuyi, Entezar Shabestari, Marjan, Mohammadi, Abbas, Hoomehr, Bahareh, Kalali, Ehsan Naderi and Lotfian, Saeid ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8542-933X;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)