Optimization of intumescent flame retardant system based on ammonium polyphosphate, double pentaerythritol, and zinc borate for thermoplastic polyurethane composite

The widespread industrial applications of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) are partially limited by its flammability. The design of high-performance intumescent flame retardants (IFR) is of great significance for enhancing flame retardant (FR) performance of TPU. In this work, an IFR system consisting of ammonium polyphosphate (APP), double pentaerythritol (DPER), and zinc borate (ZB) is proposed. The optimized experimental parameters with 15 wt.% additive amount of FR, APP-DPER weight ratio of 2.28:1 and 15.56 wt.% ZB content are regulated based on Box–Behnken design-response surface methodology (BBD-RSM) to obtain TPU/FR composite with superior limiting oxygen index value of 30.2%. Noticeably, the design efficiency of TPU/FR composite is significantly improved by utilizing BBD-RSM. Results of vertical burning test show that the optimized TPU/FR composite passes UL 94 V-0 rating and peak heat release rate is dramatically reduced from 1355.88 (neat TPU) to 201.01 KW/m2 through cone calorimeter test. In addition, scanning electron microscopy accompanied with Raman spectroscopy are conducted to characterize the morphology and composition of residual char for further exploring the FR mechanism of IFR system in TPU. The as-prepared TPU/FR composite has provided new potential application in engineering fields. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.