SYNTHESIS AND PROCESSING OF FURAN-BASED EPOXY RESINS FOR FIRE RESISTANT COMPOSITES

Wildfires cause damage to human life and property. By 2100, there is an anticipated 50 % increase in extreme wildfires (burning > 25,000 acres) from increased greenhouse gas emissions. With the anticipated increase in fire threats, sustainable and novel structural protective materials are sought after that have a high strength-to-weight ratio like polymer fiber reinforced composites or carbon/carbon composites. Focusing on the matrix in such systems, epoxy resins are commonly used for their ease of processability. However, typical epoxy resins are highly flammable limiting their use in structural applications. Moreover, the use of flame retardant additives poses environmental concerns. Therefore, there is a need to develop sustainable and thermally stable epoxy resins for use in fire resistant composites. In this study, two furan-based difunctional epoxy resins were synthesized and characterized for use in flame retardant composites without adding a flame-retardant. The molecular structure of epoxies eliminated the need for a curing agent or catalyst. The thermal stability was tested using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The pyrolysis behavior was investigated using a tube furnace. Both resins had a high char yield (40-45 %) in inert environments and created carbon foam showing promise as fire resistant composites without the use of additional flame-retardants.