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Polyurethane Composites: From Material Innovations to Multifunctional Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 296

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszów University of Technology, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: polyesters; polyurethanes; polymer compositions; polymer hybrid composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszów University of Technology, Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: polyurethane foams (especially rigid); flame retardancy; increasing thermal resistance; fillers for foamed compositions; polyols; biopolyols; glycolysis; sustainable development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue refers to the latest advancements and future potential of polyurethanes (PUs) and their composites. It covers the innovations of PU composites, focusing on enhanced properties like strength, durability, thermal resistance, and sustainability. It also highlights recent innovations in PU-based composites, which combine polyurethane with other materials (such as fibers, nanoparticles, and other polymers) to enhance their performance for various applications, including automotive, construction, and healthcare.

The Special Issue discusses the improvements in PU composite manufacturing techniques, such as better processing methods, cost-effectiveness, and recyclability, while forecasting continued growth in research and application, driven by the need for lighter, stronger, and more eco-friendly materials.

The Special Issue provides a comprehensive outlook on the evolving role of PU composites in meeting the demand for high-performance and eco-friendly materials.

Prof. Dr. Iwona Zarzyka
Prof. Dr. Dorota Głowacz-Czerwonka

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • polyurethanes
  • composites
  • nanocomposites
  • hybrid composites
  • nanofillers
  • structure–properties relationship
  • eco-friendly
  • strength
  • durability
  • thermal resistance
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1928 KiB  
Article
Thermal and Flammability Analysis of Polyurethane Foams with Solid and Liquid Flame Retardants: Comparative Study
by Dorota Głowacz-Czerwonka, Patrycja Zakrzewska, Beata Zygmunt-Kowalska and Iwona Zarzyka
Polymers 2025, 17(14), 1977; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141977 - 18 Jul 2025
Viewed by 227
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
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