Synthesis of highly active HM-SiO2@CeO2/NiO hybrids for fire safety applications of epoxy resins

This work covered a facile process for preparing hollow mesoporous silica (HM-SiO2) based ternary HM-SiO2@CeO2/NiO hybrids. The HM-SiO2@CeO2/NiO hybrid was synthesized by a sonochemical method, followed by adsorption and calcination steps. Due to the open pore structure and high surface area of HM-SiO2, CeO2/NiO was anchored onto the surface of HM-SiO2. The as-synthesized HM-SiO2@CeO2/NiO was subsequently incorporated into epoxy resin (EP) so as to improve the fire safety of EP. The fire safety properties were obviously improved, in which the peak heat release rate decreased and the concentration of toxic effluents were reduced. The labyrinth barrier effect of HM-SiO2 and the catalytic charring effect of CeO2/NiO played important roles in improving the fire safety.