The synthesis and applications of α-zirconium phosphate (2020)

Abstract:

The layered two dimensional material α-Zirconium Phosphate (α-ZrP) was used to explore its effect on the flame-retardant properties of plywood in this paper. First, the positively charged polyelectrolyte polyethyleneimine (PEI) and the negatively charged polyelectrolyte ammonium polyphosphate (APP) were adsorbed to the surface of poplar veneers through layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technology, then the flame-retardant modified veneer was prepared for use. Followed by, urea formaldehyde (UF) resin composite adhesives with 9%, 15% and 24% mass fractions of α-ZrP were made. The flame-retardant plywood was prepared by modified veneers and composite adhesives. The chemical composition and combustion status of modified veneers were characterized using multiple techniques, including scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and veneer burning experiments. Through the rheological properties and bonding quality test, the appropriate addition amount of α-ZrP was determined to be 15%. The flame retardancy of modified plywood was assessed by the cone calorimeter (CONE). The results showed that the plywood with only UF composite adhesives and the plywood with only flame-retardant veneers have limited ability to inhibit heat release. When flame-retardant veneers were used in conjunction with composite adhesives, the peak Heat Release Rate (pHRR) and Total Heat Release (THR) of the plywood were reduced by 41.8% and 22.9%, respectively, and the ability to suppress heat was significantly improved. In addition, with the introduction of α-ZrP, the total smoke production and the concentration of toxic gas CO were significantly reduced. This showed that when α-ZrP was used in conjunction with APP, α-ZrP has excellent synergistic flame-retardant property on poplar plywood. The research results provide a strong basis for the application of α-ZrP in flame retardancy of the wood based composites.