Improve the flame retardancy and scratch resistance of polycarbonate by introducing Si/P/N contained transparent coatings

Highly transparent polycarbonate (PC) has received more and more attention. However, several key issues, such as its inherent low flame-retardancy and poor scratch-resistance, are still required to be addressed. Herein, a phosphonamide-siloxane (PPA-Si) hybrid coating was synthesized and coated on PC plates via sol-gel methods. The combination of PPA and Si endowed PC with excellent fire performance, the formed Si-O-Si cross-linking network provided hardness and curing capacity, and the PPA increased the flexibility of coating. The coated PC sample showed excellent flame retardancy, good scratch resistance, and high transparency. The PC/PPA-Si-3 sample with a limiting oxygen index of 28.5 % achieved a UL-94 V-0 rating. The peak heat release rate and total heat release of the coated sample were decreased by 56.2 % and 18.3 %, respectively, compared to that of the control PC sample. Meanwhile, the pencil hardness was improved from 2B of the control PC to 2H of the PC/ PPA-Si-3 sample, and the coating still maintained good flexibility and adhesion even after being immersed in liquid nitrogen for 20 min. Furthermore, the effect of different ratios of phosphonamide and silicon on the flammability and physical mechanical properties of PC was also investigated. This work has offered a possible strategy to produce transparent, flame-retardant, and scratch-resistant PC plates.