New Polymer Composites with Aluminum Phosphates as Hybrid Flame Retardants

• Published in: Materials 2023-01, Vol.16 (1), p.426
• Main Authors: Dziuba, Kamil, Wnuczek, Krystyna, Wojtachnio, Patryk, Sonnier, Rodolphe, Podkościelna, Beata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Additives; Aluminum; Aluminum compounds; Aluminum ores; Aluminum oxide; Aluminum phosphate; Bauxite; Bayer process; Boehmite; Combustion; Composite materials; Cone calorimeters; Curing; Curing agents; Decomposition; Engineering Sciences; Epoxy resins; Fire resistant materials; Fireproofing agents; Flame retardants; Heat; Heat measurement; Heat release rate; Hybrid structures; Hydroxides; Market shares; Materials; Mechanical properties; Organophosphates; Phosphates; Phosphoric acid; Phosphorus; Polymer industry; Polymer matrix composites; Polymers; Product lines; Pyrolysis; Steel alloys; Thermal properties; Thermal stability; Thermodynamic properties
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma16010426

Polymeric aluminum organophosphates are a class of nanostructured aluminum-based compounds that can be considered organic and inorganic hybrid materials. Aluminum phosphates have attracted considerable interest due to their ability to enhance composite materials' mechanical characteristics, lightweight, and thermal properties. Extensive studies have shown the potential of aluminum organophosphates as a component in the development of fire-retardant materials. Aluminum-organophosphorus hybrid (APH) materials have been prepared by reacting aluminum oxide hydroxide (boehmite) with alkyl and aryl phosphoric acids and used to prepare composites with epoxy resin. Boehmite is an aluminum oxide hydroxide (γ-AlO(OH)) mineral, a component of the aluminum ore bauxite. In this work, the composites based on epoxy resin Epidian 601 and commercial curing agent IDA were obtained. Pure boehmite and APH hybrids were added as flame retardants. FTIR and TGA analysis showed that obtained APH possesses a hybrid structure, high thermostability, and various morphologies. These new APH were incorporated into epoxy resin. The infrared spectroscopy confirmed the structure of hybrids and composites. Pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC) and cone calorimeter analyses were performed to assess the flame retardant properties of the composites. The results showed that the incorporation of 17 wt% APH allows a reduction of heat release rate but to a limited extent in comparison to pure boehmite, which is due to the different decomposition mechanisms of both boehmite and hybrids. The cone calorimetry test showed that residue contents correspond quite well to the mineral fraction from boehmite only. The hybrid APHs appear no more efficient than pure boehmite because the mineral fraction in APH is reduced while phosphate fraction cannot promote significant charring.