Use of montmorillonite to improve flame retardancy, thermal stability and reducing smoke toxicity of chicken feather protein-based rigid polyurethane foam

The aim of this article is to solve the problem of improving the flame retardancy of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) while improving the environmental pollution caused by flame retardancy. Using the special layered structure of montmorillonite (MMT) and the stable chemical bond formed by the reaction with chicken feather (CF) protein, RPUF co-modified with MMT and CF was successfully prepared by using the “one-step method” of all-water foaming. It was found by experiments and theoretical calculations that the addition of MMT improved the flame retardancy of the samples. When 3 wt% of MMT was added, RPUF-CF1/MMT3 had the highest initial decomposition temperature and the largest activation energy, and its thermal stability was the best. In addition, RPUF-CF1/MMT3 had the smallest peak heat release rate (28.77, 32.04, and 42.18 kW/m²) and total heat release (1.87, 2.15, and 2.38 MJ/m²) at different radiation fluxes. Meanwhile, RPUF-CF1/MMT3 had the smallest smoke density (32.17 and 28.32), the largest light transmission (57.05% and 60.91%), the lowest toxic gas emission and the lowest fire risk.

Highlights

• Flame retardant modified bioprotein-based RPUF by MMT is proposed.
• The flame retardant mechanism depends on the “sandwich biscuit” structure of MMT and its POSi bond with chicken hair protein.
• MMT-modified RPUF can improve its thermal stability, flame retardancy and smoke toxicity.