MOF-derived strategy to obtain CuCoOx functionalized HO-BN: A novel design to enhance the toughness, fire safety and heat resistance of bismaleimide resin.

• Hydrophobic hierarchical OH-BN@CuCoOx was innovatively prepared by the MOF-derived strategy. • OH-BN@CuCoOx achieved high filler efficiency in reducing THR and TSP of BMI. • BMI/OH-BN@CuCoOx 0.5 achieved an 80 % increase in impact strength. • BMI/OH-BN@CuCoOx 0.5 achieved a 49 °C increase in Tg. In this work, the MOF-derived strategy was used to generate copper-cobalt metal oxide (CuCoOx) in situ on the surface of hydroxylated boron nitride (HO-BN), and a new type of nano-hybrid (HO-BN@CuCoOx) was obtained. Then, HO-BN@CuCoOx was dispersed in the bismaleimide resin (BMI) matrix in the form of a layered structure, forming a strong interface interaction. The results of the cone calorimeter test exhibited that the fire hazard and toxic smoke release of BMI nanocomposites containing 2 wt% HO-BN@CuCoOx were effectively suppressed, such as a 37.2% reduction in total heat release rate (THR), a 38.5% reduction at peak heat release rate (PHRR), 24.3% decrease in total smoke production (TSP) and 62.2% decrease in peaks of carbon monoxide (CO) production rate. Compared with previous studies, higher filling efficiency was achieved. In addition, BMI/HO-BN@CuCoOx 0.5 achieved an 80% increase in impact strength, revealing excellent toughness. In particular, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of BMI/HO-BN@CuCoOx 0.5 reached 330 °C, an increase of 49 °C compared to the pure sample, which increased the potential for application in extreme environments. Therefore, the developed new BMI/HO-BN@CuCoOx nanocomposites expanded the application potential of BMI in the high-end field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]