Phosphorus-free boron nitride/cerium oxide hybrid: A synergistic flame retardant and smoke suppressant for thermally resistant cyanate ester resin

Establishing a phosphorus-free strategy to fabricate high-performance thermosetting resins owning outstanding thermal resistance, good flame retardancy, and smoke suppression is important for sustainable development. Herein, a unique phosphorus-free hybrid (BN@CeO2) was synthesized through chemically grafting cerium oxide (CeO2) on surface of exfoliated boron nitride (BN) nanosheet with the aids of gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and polydopamine coating, which was then embedded into bisphenol A cyanate ester (BCy) resin to fabricate new BN@CeO2/BCy composites with high thermal resistance. Compared with BCy resin, the BN@CeO2/BCy composite with 4 wt% BN@CeO2 not only has delayed initial ignition time by 23 seconds but also severally shows 58.1%, 23.1%, and 44.4% lower smoke produce rate, total heat release, and peak heat release rate. The study on mechanism behind outstanding flame retardancy reveals that the improved heat resistance and flame retardancy of BN@CeO2/BCy composite are attributed to multiply effects induced by BN@CeO2 and its interaction with BCy resin; specifically, these effects come from BN (physical barrier) and CeO2 (free radical trapping effect and catalytic char layer formation) as well as those from the synergistic effect of BN and CeO2. These excellent comprehensive properties of BN@CeO2/BCy composites demonstrate that BN@CeO2 is an environment-friendly and synergistic modifier for developing heat-resisting thermosetting resins with outstanding flame retardancy and smoke suppression.