2026/01/01 by Jin Wook Han, Qi Wang, Dan Wu +8 · 1 voice
Materials Science · #Flame retardant materials and properties #Covalent Organic Framework Applications #Dendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers
paper · doi:10.1515/epoly-2026-0019
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Abstract This work developed thermosetting materials with antibacterial and flame-retardant properties for protective coatings and medical components where simultaneous hygiene requirements and fire safety are necessary. Hydrophilic hyperbranched polyethyleneimine reacted with salicylaldehyde to form a Schiff base, then with diphenylphosphine oxide (DPPO) to create a flame-retardant hydrophobic shell. Based on host-guest chemistry, the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) was encapsulated into the amphiphilic core-shell polymer to obtain the ICG@HPEIDPP complex (0.06 g ICG per 1 g host). The residual secondary amines allowed curing with epoxy resins. At only 1.1 wt% ICG, the thermoset achieved antibacterial rates of 96.48 % against E. coli and 96.46 % against S. aureus . The material also reached a V-0 vertical burning rating and a limiting oxygen index above 26 %. This integration approach imparts photodynamic antibacterial activity via host-guest encapsulation, while preserving the intrinsic flame-retardant properties of the hyperbranched host, and can be extended to incorporate other functional molecules.