TY - JOUR A1 - Chan, Yin Yam A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - It Takes Two to Tango: Synergistic Expandable Graphite–Phosphorus Flame Retardant Combinations in Polyurethane Foams N2 - Due to the high flammability and smoke toxicity of polyurethane foams (PUFs) during burning, distinct efficient combinations of flame retardants are demanded to improve the fire safety of PUFs in practical applications. This feature article focuses on one of the most impressive halogen-free combinations in PUFs: expandable graphite (EG) and phosphorus-based flame retardants (P-FRs). The synergistic effect of EG and P-FRs mainly superimposes the two modes of action, charring and maintaining a thermally insulating residue morphology, to bring effective flame retardancy to PUFs. Specific interactions between EG and P-FRs, including the agglutination of the fire residue consisting of expanded-graphite worms, yields an outstanding synergistic effect, making this approach the latest champion to fulfill the demanding requirements for flame-retarded PUFs. Current and future topics such as the increasing use of renewable feedstock are also discussed in this article. KW - Synergy KW - Phosphorus-containing flame retardant KW - Expandable graphite KW - Polyurethane foams PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551958 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 14 IS - 13 SP - 2562 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-55195 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sanchez Olivares, G. A1 - Battig, Alexander A1 - Goller, Sebastian M. A1 - Rockel, Daniel A1 - Ramirez Gonzáles, V. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Imparting Fire Retardancy and Smoke Suppression to Leather during Tanning Processes N2 - Leather is considered a luxury good when used in seating and upholstery. To improve safety, flame retardancy in leather is usually achieved through various finishing processes such as spray or roller coating. These treatments require processing steps that cost time and are laborintensive. One avenue to achieving flame retardancy in leather is to add flame retardants during the tanning process. However, the influence on flame retardancy exerted by specific intumescent additives specifically added during leather tanning has yet to be investigated. This work explores the roles played by intumescent additive compounds in flame retarding leather when they are added during tanning instead of applied as a coating. Via a systematic investigation of various compound mixtures, the flame retardant effects in the condensed and the gas phases are elucidated. The results show a strong impact of melamine in the gas phase and of polyphosphates in the condensed phase. Their impact was quantified in fire and smoke analysis, showing a 14% reduction in the peak of heat release rate, strongly reduced burning lengths, and a 20% reduction in total smoke release compared to nontreated leather. These results illuminate the key role played by specific compounds in the flame retardancy of leather, particularly when they are added specifically during the tanning process instead of being applied as a coating. This method has great potential to reduce processing steps, lower costs, and improve material safety. KW - Leather KW - Fire protection KW - Intumescent additives KW - Smoke suppression PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-564777 SN - 2470-1343 VL - 7 IS - 48 SP - 44156 EP - 44169 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-56477 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chan, Yin Yam A1 - Ma, C. A1 - Zhou, F. A1 - Hu, Y. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - A liquid phosphorous flame retardant combined with expandable graphite or melamine in flexible polyurethane foam N2 - A systematic series of flexible polyurethane foams (FPUF) with different concentrations of flame retardants, bis([dimethoxyphosphoryl]methyl) phenyl phosphate (BDMPP), and melamine (MA) or expandable graphite (EG) was prepared. The mechanical properties of the FPUFs were evaluated by a universal testing machine. The pyrolysis behaviors and the evolved gas analysis were done by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and TGA coupled with Fourier-transform infrared (TG-FTIR), respectively. The fire behaviors were studied by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL 94 test for horizontal burning of cellular materials (UL 94 HBF), and cone calorimeter measurement. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the cellular structure's morphology and the postfire char residue of the FPUFs. LOI and UL 94 HBF tests of all the flame retarded samples show improved flame retardancy. BDMPP plays an essential role in the gas phase because it significantly reduces the effective heat of combustion (EHC). This study highlights the synergistic effect caused by the combination of BDMPP and EG. The measured char yield from TGA is greater than the sum of individual effects. No dripping phenomenon occurs during burning for FPUF-BDMPP-EGs, as demonstrated by the result of the UL 94 HBF test. EG performs excellently on smoke suppression during burning, as evident in the result of the cone calorimeter test. MA reduces the peak heat release rate (pHRR) significantly. The synergistic effect of the combination of BDMPP and EG as well as MA offers an approach to enhance flame retardancy and smoke suppression. KW - Bis([dimethoxyphosphoryl]methyl) phenyl phosphate KW - Expandable graphite KW - Flexible polyurethane foam KW - melamine KW - phosphorous flame retardant PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-541840 SN - 1099-1581 VL - 33 IS - 1 SP - 326 EP - 339 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-54184 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tabaka, Weronika A1 - Timme, Sebastian A1 - Lauterbach, Tobias A1 - Medina, L. A1 - Berglund, L. A. A1 - Carosio, F. A1 - Duquesne, S. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Bench-scale fire stability testing - Assessment of protective systems on carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites N2 - Fire resistance testing of components made of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) usually demands intermediate-scale or full-scale testing. A bench-scale test is presented as a practicable and efficient method to assess how different fire protective systems improve the structural integrity of CFRPs during fire. The direct flame of a fully developed fire was applied to one side of the CFRP specimen, which was simultaneously loaded with compressive force. Three different approaches (film, non-woven, and coatings) were applied: paper with a thickness in the range of μm consisting of cellulose nanofibre (CNF)/clay nanocomposite, nonwoven mats with thickness in the range of cm and intumescent coatings with a thickness in the range of mm. The uncoated specimen failed after just 17 s. Protection by these systems provides fire stability, as they multiply the time to failure by as much as up to 43 times. The reduced heating rates of the protected specimens demonstrate the reduced heat penetration, indicating the coatings’ excellent heat shielding properties. Bench-scale fire stability testing is shown to be suitable tool to identify, compare and assess different approaches to fire protection. KW - Fire stability KW - Bench-scale fire resistance KW - Carbon fibre reinforced polymer KW - Protective coatings PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-532401 SN - 0142-9418 SN - 1873-2348 VL - 102 SP - 7340 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-53240 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Battig, Alexander A1 - Müller, Patrick A1 - Bertin, Annabelle A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Hyperbranched Rigid Aromatic Phosphorus-Containing Flame Retardants for Epoxy Resins N2 - A rigid aromatic phosphorus-containing hyperbranched flame retardant structure is synthesized from 10-(2,5 dihydroxyphenyl)-10H-9-oxa- 10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO-HQ), tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)phosphine oxide (THPPO), and 1,4-terephthaloyl chloride (TPC). The resulting poly-(DOPO-HQ/THPPO-terephthalate) (PDTT) is implemented as a flame retardant into an epoxy resin (EP) at a 10 wt% loading. The effects on EP are compared with those of the monomer DOPO-HQ and triphenylphosphine oxide (OPPh3) as low molar mass flame retardants. The glass transition temperature, thermal decomposition, flammability (reaction to small flame), and burning behavior of the thermosets are investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry, UL 94-burning chamber testing, and cone calorimeter measurements. Although P-contents are low at only 0.6 wt%, the study aims not at attaining V-0, but at presenting a proof of principle: Epoxy resinswith PDTT show promising fire performance, exhibiting a 25% reduction in total heat evolved (THE), a 30% reduction in peak heat release rate (PHRR) due to flame inhibition (21% reduction in effective heat of combustion (EHC)), and an increase in Tg at the same time. This study indicates that rigid aromatic hyperbranched polymeric structures offer a promising route toward multifunctional flame retardancy. KW - Hyperbranched KW - Aromatic KW - Phosphorus KW - Phosphine oxide KW - DOPO KW - Flame retardant KW - Xpoxy resin KW - Rigid PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525910 SN - 1439-2054 VL - 306 IS - 4 SP - 731 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-52591 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Battig, Alexander A1 - Sanchez-Olivares, G. A1 - Rockel, Daniel A1 - Maldonado-Santoyo, M. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Waste not, want not: The use of leather waste in flame retarded EVA N2 - Leather is among the most ancient, widely used materials worldwide. Industrial-scale leather production produces large quantities of organic waste attained during shaving and buffing steps during processing. In this study, leather wastes (LW) are used as fillers in flame retarded polymer composites. LW is investigated as a multifunctional bio-filler that enhances the fire performance of flame retarded poly(ethylene–vinyl acetate) (EVA) containing phosphorus flame retardants (P-FRs) ammonium polyphosphate (APP) or a melamine-encapsulated APP (eAPP). Using LW from tanneries as adjuvants to enhance P-FRs in EVA reduces industrial wastes that otherwise require costly waste management solutions. Materials are characterized multi-methodically via mechanical tests, electron microscopy, rheology, thermogravimetric analysis, evolved gas analysis, and condensed phase FTIR, also reaction-to-small-flames and cone calorimeter tests. EVA containing 10 wt-% LW and 20 wt-% P-FRs achieve 20% reductions in fire loads versus EVA, and up to 10% reduction in effective heats of combustion versus EVA with equal (30 wt-%) P-FR loadings. Enhanced char stabilization of EVA composites with LW and P-FRs lowered peaks of heat release rates up to 53% compared to EVA, and up to 40% compared to equal P-FRs loadings. Synergisms between LW and P-FRs in EVA are quantified. A chemical decomposition mechanism is proposed. KW - Leather waste KW - Tannery industry KW - EVA KW - Fire protection KW - Flame retardancy KW - Charring PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-532977 SN - 0264-1275 VL - 210 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-53297 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Strommer, Bettina A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Networking Skills: The Effect of Graphene on the Crosslinking of Natural Rubber Nanocomposites with Sulfur and Peroxide Systems N2 - Tailored crosslinking in elastomers is crucial for their technical applications. The incorporation of nanoparticles with high surface-to-volume ratios not only leads to the formation of physical networks and influences the ultimate performance of nanocomposites, but it also affects the chemical crosslinking reactions. The influence of few-layer graphene (FLG) on the crosslinking behavior of natural rubber is investigated. Four different curing systems, two sulfur-based with different accelerator-to-sulfur ratios, and two peroxide-based with different peroxide concentrations, are combined with different FLG contents. Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), vulcametry (MDR) and swelling measurements, the results show an accelerating effect of FLG on the kinetics of the sulfur-based curing systems, with an exothermic reaction peak in DSC shifted to lower temperatures and lower scorch and curing times in the MDR. While a higher accelerator-to-sulfur ratio in combination with FLG leads to reduced crosslinking densities, the peroxide crosslinkers are hardly affected by the presence of FLG. The good agreement of crosslink densities obtained from the swelling behavior confirms the suitability of vulcameter measurements for monitoring the complex vulcanization process of such nanocomposite systems in a simple and efficient way. The reinforcing effect of FLG shows the highest relative improvements in weakly crosslinked nanocomposites. KW - Nanocomposite KW - Elastomers KW - Graphene KW - Crosslinking KW - Network KW - Rubber KW - Vulcanization PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-560409 VL - 14 IS - 20 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-56040 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Strommer, Bettina A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - The quantification of anisotropy in graphene/natural rubber nanocomposites: Evaluation of the aspect ratio, concentration, and crosslinking N2 - In the processing of nanocomposites, high shear stresses at elevated tempera-tures orient two-dimensional nanoparticles like graphene. This orientationleads to anisotropic mechanical, thermal or barrier properties of the nanocom-posite. This anisotropy is addressed in this study by comparing graphene (few-layer graphene, FLG) with a nanoscaled carbon black (nCB) at a filler contentof 3 phr, by varying the vulcanization, and by comparing different FLG con-tents. Transmission electron microscopy gives insight into the qualitative ori-entation in the nanocomposite with FLG or nCB. The storage moduli paralleland normal to the orientation reveal the direction dependency of reinforce-ment through dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Dimensional swellingmeasurements show a restriction of the expansion parallel to the FLG orienta-tion, and an increased expansion normal to the orientation. The vulcanizationsystem and crosslinking determine the respective level of property values, andhigher crosslinking densities increase the anisotropy in DMA resulting invalues of up to 2.9 for the quantified anisotropy factor. With increasing FLGcontent, the anisotropy increases. A comparison of the results reveals swellingmeasurements as the most suitable method for the determination of anisot-ropy. Compared to recent literature, the presented processing induces higheranisotropy, leading to higher reinforcing effects in the direction of orientation KW - Natural rubber KW - Graphene KW - Nanocomposite KW - Mechanical properties KW - Swelling PY - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-571522 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 140 IS - 16 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Wiley online library CY - Hoboken, New Jersey (USA) AN - OPUS4-57152 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dittrich, Bettina A1 - Wartig, K.-A. A1 - Mülhaupt, R. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Flame-retardancy properties of intumescent ammonium poly(phosphate) and mineral filler magnesium hydroxide in combination with graphene N2 - Thermally reduced graphite oxide (TRGO), containing only four single carbon layers on average, was combined with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and magnesium hydroxide (MH), respectively, in polypropylene (PP). The nanoparticle's influence on different flame-retarding systems and possible synergisms in pyrolysis, reaction to small flame, fire behavior and mechanical properties were determined. TRGO has a positive effect on the yield stress, which is decreased by both flame-retardants and acts as a synergist with regard to Young's modulus. The applicability and effects of TRGO as an adjuvant in combination with conventional flame-retardants depends strongly on the particular flame-retardancy mechanism. In the intumescent system, even small concentrations of TRGO change the viscosity of the pyrolysing melt crucially. In case of oxygen index (OI) and UL 94 test, the addition of increasing amounts of TRGO to PP/APP had a negative impact on the oxygen index and the UL 94 classification. Nevertheless, systems with only low amounts (≤1 wt%) of TRGO achieved V-0 classification in the UL 94 test and high oxygen indices (>31 vol%). TRGO strengthens the residue structure of MH and therefore functions as a strong synergist in terms of OI and UL 94 classification (from HB to V-0). KW - Graphene KW - Intumescence KW - Ammonium polyphosphate KW - Magnesium hydroxide KW - Synergy KW - Polypropylene PY - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-320685 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 6 IS - 11 SP - 2875 EP - 2895 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-32068 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Phosphorus-based flame retardancy mechanisms - Old hat or a starting point for future development? N2 - Different kinds of additive and reactive flame retardants containing phosphorus are increasingly successful as halogen-free alternatives for various polymeric materials and applications. Phosphorus can act in the condensed phase by enhancing charring, yielding intumescence, or through inorganic glass formation; and in the gas phase through flame inhibition. Occurrence and efficiency depend, not only on the flame retardant itself, but also on its interaction with pyrolysing polymeric material and additives. Flame retardancy is sensitive to modification of the flame retardant, the use of synergists/adjuvants, and changes to the polymeric material. A detailed understanding facilitates the launch of tailored and targeted development. KW - Fire retardancy KW - Red phosphorus KW - Phosphate KW - Phosphonate KW - Phosphinate KW - Phosphine oxide KW - Flame inhibition KW - Charring KW - Intumescence PY - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-220368 SN - 1996-1944 VL - 3 IS - 10 SP - 4710 EP - 4745 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-22036 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -