Development of multifunctional hybrid epoxy composite coatings with hydrophobic or flame retardant properties

Epoxy resins own a combination of thermal stability and chemical resistance, which makes them a primary choice in several industrial applications, including the fabrication of protective and functional coatings. Appropriately designed fillers can provide features like surface hydrophobicity, useful in self-cleaning, anti-icing, and antifouling coatings, and improved flame retardance, required to contrast the high flammability of such materials. Here, two approaches to enhance these properties by sustainable procedures based on sol-gel chemistry are presented: the functionalization of particles derived from waste hemp fibers to turn them into hydrophobic fillers and a hydrolytic route to obtain flame retardant epoxy nanocomposites by the growth of silicon-phosphorus inorganic nanostructures from reactive Si and P precursors.