Interface reaction constructs iron and phosphorus functionalized zeolite endowing EP with excellent fire safety and mechanical properties

• Phosphorus and iron functionalized zeolite flame retardants were prepared by the interfacial reaction construction strategy. • Zeolite@PFe endows EP with excellent flame retardancy, significantly reduced smoke and heat release. • Zeolite@PFe simultaneously enhanced the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of EP. High performance epoxy resin (EP) has a wide range of applications, but it still faces problems of high fire hazard and low mechanical properties. However, the development of high performance EP composites with excellent flame retardancy and mechanical properties remains a challenging task. In this work, a novel phosphorus and iron functionalized natural zeolite flame retardants (Zeolite@PFe) was developed for preparation of high-performance flame resisting EP. Compared with pure EP, the flammability and smoke release of EP/Zeolite@PFe composites were greatly reduced. After adding 5 wt% Zeolite@PFe, the EP composites achieved V-0 grade with an LOI of 33.1%. Meanwhile, the total heat release and total smoke release of EP composites were reduced by 22.31% and 36.74%, respectively. Zeolite@PFe exhibited high flame retardance through catalytic carbonization, free radical quenching and physical barrier effect. Notably, the tensile strength and elongation at break of EP increased by 29.7% and 58.84%, respectively, due to the good dispersibility and interfacial interaction between Zeolite@PFe and EP matrix. Therefore, this study provides a novel methodology for the development of EP composites with excellent flame retardancy and mechanical properties.