Synthesis of cerium-based flame retardant containing phosphorus and its impact on the flammability of polylactic acid

Junwei Zeng; Fenglong Lin; Wayne Hsu; Shenglong Wang; Yincai Wu; Xinkun Wang; Hongyan Cheng; Qiuyin Zhu; Huiming Wu; Lijun Song

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132636

Synthesis of cerium-based flame retardant containing phosphorus and its impact on the flammability of polylactic acid

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Jun;271(Pt 1):132636. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132636. Epub 2024 May 24.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Materials, Fujian Normal University, Fujian 350007, China; Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Photoelectric Functional Materials, Xiamen Institute of Rare Earth Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China.
² Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Photoelectric Functional Materials, Xiamen Institute of Rare Earth Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China.
³ Fuzhou Fusu Science and Technology Research Institute Co., LTD, Fuzhou 350002, China.
⁴ Xiamen Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Photoelectric Functional Materials, Xiamen Institute of Rare Earth Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 38795567
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132636

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of [Ce₂(PPPA)₄(OH)₂]·4H₂O, wherein PPPA denotes 3-(hydroxy(phenyl)phosphoryl)propanoate, were conducted. Its potential as a flame-retardant additive for poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) in conjunction with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) was investigated. Remarkably, with just incorporation of the 1 % Ce-complex and 4 % APP, the resulting PLA composite (PLA-8) meets the V-0 standard, exhibiting an impressive limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 29.4 %. Moreover, the introduction of the Ce-complex leads to a significant extension of ignition time (TTI), a significant 24.1 % decrease in total heat release (THR) compared to pure PLA, and a notable increase in residual carbon rate from 0.3 % to 3.51 %. Although PLA-8 exhibits a minor decline of 8.7 % in tensile strength and 3.4 % in elongation at break, respectively, compared to pure PLA, there is a substantial improvement of 32.2 % in Young's modulus and 29.9 % in impact resistance. These results emphasise the potential of cerium-based phosphorus-containing flame retardants, with cerium playing a key role in enhancing the flammability characteristics of PLA. This study contributes to the development of sustainable and fire-resistant materials in polymer chemistry.

Keywords: Additive; Flame retardant; Polylactic acid; Rare-earth complexes; Sustainable material.

MeSH terms

Cerium* / chemistry
Flame Retardants* / chemical synthesis
Phosphorus* / chemistry
Polyesters* / chemical synthesis
Polyesters* / chemistry
Polyphosphates / chemistry
Tensile Strength

Substances

poly(lactide)
Flame Retardants
Polyesters
Cerium
Phosphorus
Polyphosphates