Improving the Reaction-to-Fire Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethane by New Phosphazene-Triazinyl-Based Covalent Organic Framework

In this study, an approach to simultaneously improve fire resistance and mechanical performance of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was introduced through the penetration of a conjugated network containing nitrogen and phosphorus elements. For this purpose, a Bg-HCCP COF was synthesized through a solvothermal method from benzoguanamine (Bg) and hexachlorophosphazene (HCCP) monomers. Then, it was combined with TPU using the wet mixing method. The TPU/Bg-HCCP composites showed better mechanical strength than the untreated sample. The fire safety of TPU/Bg-HCCP composites was greatly improved by increasing the Bg-HCCP contents. The reduction of the peak heat release rate and the total heat release for the TPU/Bg-HCCP composite with 3 wt % Bg-HCCP were about 44.8 and 60.4%, respectively. Besides, the results showed that adding Bg-HCCP to TPU significantly improved the suppression of smoke generation so that 3% by weight of the fire retardant reduced the total smoke released by 53.1%. It also decreased the peak of the carbon monoxide production rate by 26.5%. Generally, our research provides a promising strategy for constructing flame-retardant composites with high performance.

Surface Modification of Ammonium Polyphosphate for Enhancing Flame-Retardant Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethane

Currently, the development of efficient and environmentally friendly flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite materials has caused extensive research. Ammonium polyphosphate (APP) is used as a general intumescent flame retardant to improve the flame retardancy of TPU. In this paper, we developed a functionalized APP flame retardant (APP-Cu@PDA). Adding only 5 wt% of APP-Cu@PDA into TPU can significantly improve the flame-retardant's performance of the composite material, reflected by a high LOI value of 28% with a UL-94 test of V-0 rating. Compared with pure TPU, the peak heat release rate, total heat release, peak smoke release rate, and total smoke release were reduced by 82%, 25%, 50%, and 29%, respectively. The improvements on the flame-retardant properties of the TPU/5%APP-Cu@PDA composites were due to the following explanations: Cu²⁺-chelated PDA has a certain catalytic effect on the carbonization process, which can promote the formation of complete carbon layers and hinder the transfer of heat and oxygen. In addition, after adding 5% APP-Cu@PDA, the tensile strength and elongation at the break of TPU composites did not decrease significantly. In summary, we developed a new flame-retardant APP-Cu@PDA, which has better flame-retardant properties than many reported TPU composites, and its preparation process is simple and environmentally friendly. This process can be applied to the industrial production of flame retardants in the future.