Fire-Safe Fully Bio-Based Schiff Base Epoxy Thermosets with Excellent Mechanical Properties and Adjustable Degradability

Currently, because of the depletion of petroleum resourcesandpollution problems associated with the use of petrochemicals, bio-basedepoxy thermosets have received wide attention. However, epoxy thermosetsderived entirely from bio-based raw materials combining high performancesin mechanical properties, fire resistance, and degradation are lessreported. In this work, a fully bio-based Schiff base epoxy resinnamed VA-FA-EP is prepared from vanillin (VA) and 2-furfurylamine(FA). The curing kinetics and behavior of the imine exchange reactionare explored systematically. After being cured by 4,4 & PRIME;-diamino-diphenylmethane(DDM), VA-FA-EP/DDM exhibits excellent mechanical properties witha glass transition temperature of 200.1 & DEG;C. VA-FA-EP/DDM hasalso been proven to have good fire resistance. There are significantreductions of 66.73% and 81.72% in total heat release (THR) and totalsmoke production (TSP), respectively. The intrinsic flame-retardantmechanism is systematically illustrated. In addition, the VA-FA-EP/DDMhas also shown a good degradation property. In summary, this studyoffers a viable approach for producing eco-friendly fire-safe Schiffbase epoxy thermosets utilizing entirely sustainable raw materials.