Copper-containing tetra-phenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane endows epoxy resin with reinforcements in the thermal stability, flame retardancy and smoke suppression

Massive release of black smoke during combustion severely impede epoxy resin (EP) applications in the fields with high fire safety requirements. Herein, Cu was grafted into Si-O-Si cage to obtain copper-containing tetra-phenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (Cu-Ph-POSS). The chemical structure of Cu-Ph-POSS was fully characterized. Cu-Ph-POSS was adopted to solve the flame retardant and smoke suppression problems of EP. The incorporation of 2 wt% Cu-Ph-POSS into EP distinctly improved the thermal stability, meanwhile, decreasing the peak of heat release rate (p-HRR), peak of smoke production rate (p-SPR) and peak of CO production rate (p-COP) by 56.8%, 44.4% and 59.4%, respectively. The interior char layers richened in polycyclic aromatic and Si-C compounds, which effectively prohibited the release of heat, smoke and toxic volatiles. Thus, imparting the fabricated EP composites to superior flame retardant and smoke suppression performances.