Comparative Study of Different Methods of Synthesis and Their Effect on the Thermomechanical Properties of a Halogenated Epoxy-Based Flame-Retardant Resin.

The work presented in this paper deals with the comparative synthesis of diglycidyl ether-based tetrabromobisphenol-A(TBBPA) using both conventional and nonconventional methods in order to explore materials for better industrial applications with respect to effective yield, cost, and time consideration. The conventional method involved the polycondensation of TBBPA and epichlorohydrin in the presence of an alkali catalyst. The nonconventional routes adopted for the synthesis of the material involved ultrasonication, microwave irradiation, and UV light exposure. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra of all the synthesized materials of the resin were found to be identical, and the X-ray diffraction analysis showed the material as amorphous. The mechanical studies of the resins revealed that all these resins synthesized by different methods are strong and possess high viscosity. Based on the overall thermal, rheological, and excellent hydrophobic properties, it can serve as an excellent flame retardant.