The combination of phenol and potassium hydroxide (KOH) was used to chemically recycle carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin cured with 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane in subcritical water. This combination had a synergistic effect on decomposing this kind of epoxy resin. The main decomposition products from the epoxy resin were identified by means of GC–MS, and a possible free-radical reaction mechanism for the decomposition of epoxy resin is proposed. The recovered carbon fibres were characterized using single fibre tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Compared to virgin carbon fibres after sizing removal, the surface compositions of the recovered carbon fibres had little change and the tensile strength of the recovered carbon fibres was well retained.

Molybdenum-phenolic resin (Mo-PR) was grafted onto the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to obtain modified MWCNTs (CNT-PR). Compared to epoxy resin, epoxy resin/CNT-PR nanocomposites showed the improvements in flame retardancy and mechanical properties. Structural characterization showed that the grafted Mo-PR improved the dispersion of MWCNTs in epoxy resin and enhanced the interfacial interaction between CNT-PR and epoxy resin. On the other hand, the grafted Mo-PR could show high char yield during the process of combustion. Thus the flame retardancy of nanocomposites was improved, especially for the heat release rate and total smoke production. Furthermore, the combination of CNT-PR with melamine dramatically promoted the LOI value and the level of UL-94 rating.