The use of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) in epoxy continues to decrease due to concerns about their negative effects on human health and the environment, as bioaccumulation of HFRs can lead to a variety of serious health conditions. Researchers have developed non-halogenated alternative chemicals to HFRs, but these chemicals have many of the same concerns as HFRs due to their synthetic nature. Tannic acid (TA) is a well-known antioxidant and char-forming flame retardant and has been studied as an additive in a wide variety of polymer systems, however its use in epoxy is limited due to poor compatibility. In this study, TA was hydrophobized using acetic anhydride and then dispersed in diglycidylether bisphenol A-based epoxy resin and hardened using triethylene tetramine (TETA). Samples were characterized for their compatibility, thermal stability, mechanical properties, thermomechanical properties and flame retardancy.

Acetylated tannic acid as a more sustainable alternative to brominated flame retardants in epoxy

255th National Meeting (2018)

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