Modified Phenolic Resins Based on Hyperbranched Polysiloxane with Improved Thermal Stability and Flame Retardancy

Abstract

A novel modified phenolic (PF) resin with high performance was developed, which was prepared by hybranched phenyl polysiloxane (HPSi) synthesized by our research group with PF resin. The effect of the incorporation of HPSi into PF resin on typical performance of HPSi/PF resins were systemically discussed. Results show that the incorporation of HPSi can not only effectively promote the thermal properties, but also improve the flame retardancy. For example, in the case of the modified PF resin with 10wt% HPSi, initial decompose temperature (Tdi) of HPSi is at about 405°C, which is 18°C more than that of neat PF resin at the heating rate of 10°C/min; its char yield at 800°C increases from 68.9% to 76.2% at the heating rate of 10°C/min. What’s more, HPSi10/PF resin has the maximum LOI value, which is 14.6% more than that of neat PF resin. The novel modified PF resin with improving integrated properties exhibits great potential to be used for many cutting-edges fields.