The preparation of ammonium polyphosphate@ nickel/cobalt-layered double hydroxide and its application as flame retardant in thermoplastic polyurethane

Inspired by the significant synergistic effect of transition metals and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) on flame reatrdancy, a nickel/cobalt-layered double hydroxide derived from a selected zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (APP@NiCo) was constructed onto the surface of APP to enhance the fire safety of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The results demonstrated that TPU containing 6 wt% APP@NiCo exhibited a LOI value of 27.7 % and achieved UL-94 V-0 rating. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in the peak heat release rate, heat release rate, and total smoke production by 72.8 %, 37.5 % and 56.9 %, respectively. The remarkable improvement in flame retardancy was contributed to the highly synergistic charring catalysis of APP and dual transition metals cobalt and nickel, which effectively promoted the formation of robust char layers during TPU combustion for enhancing fire safety.