Nickle nanocrystals decorated on graphitic nanotubes with broad channels for fire hazard reduction of epoxy resin

[Display omitted] •B, N, Ni co-doped graphitic nanotubes with broad channels were prepared.•The unique nanostructure offered uniform dispersion and strong interfacial interaction.•The filler improved the fire safety of epoxy resin superior to commercial carbon nanotubes.•The existence of the filler enhanced mechanical properties of epoxy resin. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a sort of carbon-based nanofillers blended into polymer nanocomposites to improve both of the flame retardancy and mechanical properties. However, the CNTs tend to entangle into bundles and the channels are too narrow to allow the entry of polymer chains, harmful to the dispersion and interaction within the polymer matrix. Therefore, by means of a facile pyrolysis method, boron and nitrogen co-doped larger-diameter graphitic nanotubes with decorated nickel nanocrystals (Ni/GNTs) were developed as flame retardant for epoxy resin (EP). The nanotubes are short but with large specific surface area. Compared to the commercial CNTs, the epoxy chain could infiltrate into the channels of Ni/GNTs which was approved by different techniques. The unique nanostructure endowed the product with strong interaction with the polymer matrix. The fire behaviors were examined by cone calorimeter tests, and the results showed that with the addition of 2 wt% Ni/GNTs, the peak of heat release rate and the total smoke production values of the nanocomposites were reduced by 43.5 % and 22.8 % compared with those of pure epoxy, respectively. Meanwhile, the flexural and tensile properties of EP/Ni/GNTs were also enhanced.