Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study

Głowacz-Czerwonka, Dorota; Zakrzewska, Patrycja; Zygmunt-Kowalska, Beata; Zarzyka, Iwona

doi:10.3390/polym17141977

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.

Open AccessArticle

Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study

by

Dorota Głowacz-Czerwonka

^1,*

,

Patrycja Zakrzewska

²

,

Beata Zygmunt-Kowalska

²

and

Iwona Zarzyka

¹

Department of Organic Chemistry, Rzeszow University of Technology, 35-959 Rzeszow, Poland

²

Department of Heat Engineering and Environment Protection, AGH University of Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Polymers 2025, 17(14), 1977; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141977

Submission received: 4 June 2025 / Revised: 15 July 2025 / Accepted: 17 July 2025 / Published: 18 July 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyurethane Composites: From Material Innovations to Multifunctional Applications)

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

The thermal properties and flammability of rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) containing various flame retardants, including solid (melamine, expanded graphite (EG), Exolit OP 935, ammonium polyphosphate (APP)) and liquid (Roflam B7, Roflam PLO) types, added at 30 wt.% and 60 wt.% by weight have been evaluated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated enhanced thermal stability, with the maximum 10% weight loss temperature (292 °C, +34 °C vs. reference) observed for foams containing 60 wt.% Exolit OP 935 and APP. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) test demonstrated the optimal performance for 30 wt.% APP and melamine (26.4 vol.% vs. 18.7 vol.% reference). In the UL-94 test, Exolit OP 935 and APP achieved a V-0 rating. The 60 wt.% Exolit with an EG blend also demonstrated a substantial reduction in heat release rate. These findings underscore the cooperative effects of hybrid flame retardants, thereby supporting their utilization in fire-safe RPUFs for construction and transport.

Keywords: fire-retardant composites; polymer stability; combustion behaviour; thermal degradation; construction materials

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Głowacz-Czerwonka, D.; Zakrzewska, P.; Zygmunt-Kowalska, B.; Zarzyka, I. Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study. Polymers 2025, 17, 1977. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141977

AMA Style

Głowacz-Czerwonka D, Zakrzewska P, Zygmunt-Kowalska B, Zarzyka I. Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study. Polymers. 2025; 17(14):1977. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141977

Chicago/Turabian Style

Głowacz-Czerwonka, Dorota, Patrycja Zakrzewska, Beata Zygmunt-Kowalska, and Iwona Zarzyka. 2025. "Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study" Polymers 17, no. 14: 1977. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141977

APA Style

Głowacz-Czerwonka, D., Zakrzewska, P., Zygmunt-Kowalska, B., & Zarzyka, I. (2025). Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study. Polymers, 17(14), 1977. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141977

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI