Mechanically Sustainable Starch-Based Flame-Retardant Coatings on Polyurethane Foams

• Main Authors: Kyung-Who Choi, Jun-Woo Kim, Tae-Soon Kwon, Seok-Won Kang, Jung-Il Song, Yong-Tae Park
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: layer-by-layer assembly; flame retardant; cationic starch; montmorillonite clay; eco-friendly; durable
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/8/1286

The use of halogen-based materials has been regulated since toxic substances are released during combustion. In this study, polyurethane foam was coated with cationic starch (CS) and montmorillonite (MMT) nano-clay using a spray-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly to develop an eco-friendly, high-performance flame-retardant coating agent. The thickness of the CS/MMT coating layer was confirmed to have increased uniformly as the layers were stacked. Likewise, a cone calorimetry test confirmed that the heat release rate and total heat release of the coated foam decreased by about 1/2, and a flame test showed improved fire retardancy based on the analysis of combustion speed, flame size, and residues of the LbL-coated foam. More importantly, an additional cone calorimeter test was performed after conducting more than 1000 compressions to assess the durability of the flame-retardant coating layer when applied in real life, confirming the durability of the LbL coating by the lasting flame retardancy.