Hydrangea inspired hierarchical polyphosphazenes/molybdenum diselenide flame retardant as efficient enhancer for epoxy resin

The extensive use of epoxy resin (EP) is hindered by its high fire risk, particularly due to the significant heat release and emission of toxic substances during combustion. The utilization of organic flame retardant is plagued by its high dosage and subsequent deterioration in mechanical property of polymers. Hence, the integration of polyphosphazenes (PZS) and molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) was conducted to acquire the hybridized flame retardants of PZS-Mo-A and PZS-Mo-B. With the additions of 3.0 wt% PZS-Mo-A and PZS-Mo-B, the reductions in PHRR reach 31.0 % and 33.0 %, while the decreases in total smoke production (TSP) are 13.4 % and 29.0 %. Moreover, the emission of toxic CO gas is impeded efficiently. This study provides promising prospects for the development of MoSe₂-based hierarchical flame retardants, potentially expanding their applications in polymer composite materials. © 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V.