Open Access

ARTICLE

Bio-Based Trivalent Phytate: A Novel Strategy for Enhancing Fire Performance of Rigid Polyurethane Foam Composites

Bing Zhang¹, Sujie Yang¹, Mengru Liu¹, Panyue Wen², Xiuyu Liu¹, Gang Tang^1,*, Xiangrong Xu^3,4,*

1 School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan, 243002, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
3 School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan, 243002, China
4 University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11120, Serbia

* Corresponding Authors: Gang Tang. Email: ; Xiangrong Xu. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Bio-based Halogen-free Flame Retardant Polymeric Materials)

Journal of Renewable Materials 2022, 10(5), 1201-1220. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2022.018047

Received 25 June 2021; Accepted 21 August 2021; Issue published 22 December 2021

Abstract

Biomass phytic acid has potential flame retardant value as the main form of phosphorus in plant seeds. In this study, phytate-based flame retardants aluminum phytate (PA-Al) and iron phytate (PA-Fe) were synthesized and characterized. Subsequently, they were introduced into rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) as flame retardants by one-step water-blown method. The results indicated that RPUF/PA-Fe30 exhibited the highest char residue of 22.1 wt%, significantly higher than 12.4 wt% of RPUF. Cone calorimetry analysis showed that the total heat release (THR) of RPUF/PA-Al30 decreased by 17.0% and total smoke release (TSR) decreased by 22.0% compared with pure RPUF, which were the lowest, demonstrating a low fire risk and good smoke suppression. Thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR) implied the release intensity of flammable gases (hydrocarbons, esters) and toxic gases (isocyanate, CO, aromatic compounds, HCN) of composites was significantly reduced after the addition of PA-Fe. The analysis of char residue indicated that the RPUF composites formed a dense char layer with a high degree of graphitization after the addition of PA-Al/PA-Fe, endowing RPUF composites with excellent mass & heat transmission inhibition effect and fire resistance in the combustion process.

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