Abstract: Intrinsic flame retardant epoxy resins, including siliconcontaining and special structural epoxy resins were overviewed. Compared with traditional additive flame retardant systems, halogen and phosphorusepoxy resins, siliconcontaining and special structural epoxy resins gave rise to better flame retarding performance, higher physical properties, and could be seen as green flame retarding systems. In addition, a better flame retardancy of epoxy resins could be achieved through use of synergistic effects. However, complex synthetic routes and higher cost had limited the wide application of such systems.

Key words: intrinsic flame retardants, epoxy resin, environmentally friendly behavior, synergistic effect