The fabrication and properties characterization of wood-based flame retardant composites

Abstract

Wood-based flame retardant composites were fabricated based on vacuum-pressure impregnating method after high intensive microwave pretreatment. The effects of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and modified nano-zinc borate (nZB) addition on flame-retardation and smoke-suppression properties of wood were investigated by cone calorimeter method (CONE) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results show that the heat release rate (HRR), peak heat release rate (pk-HRR), and total heat release (THR) of APP-treated woods decreased greatly with increasing concentration of APP. However, mean yield of CO (Mean COY) of APP-treated wood was much higher (3.5 times) than that of untreated wood. Compared with wood treated with APP at a concentration of 15%, the total smoke product (TSP), Mean COY, and pk-HRR decreased by 78.4%, 71.43%, and 31.23%, when wood was treated with APP and nZB (both concentrations were at 15%). APP and nZB have synergistic effects of flame-retardation and smoke-suppression. Nano-zinc borate combined with APP would be used in wood-based composites to efficiently retard flame, reduce fire intensity, and decrease noxious (CO)/smoke release. © 2014 Xia He et al.