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Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 4316

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peng Jiang

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Guest Editor

Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: flame-retardant materials; bio-based flame retardants; wood composites
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Dr. Yuxiang Huang

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Guest Editor

Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: flame-retardant materials; activated carbon fibers; bamboo cellulose; bamboo fiber-based composites
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Dr. Long Yan

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Guest Editor

Institute of Disaster Prevention Science and Safety Technology, School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: transparent fire-retardant coatings; intumescent flame retardant; flame-retarded wood; foam extinguishing agent
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the previous Special Issue of Polymers (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/special_issues/3Y2277BO9J), we are delighted to launch a second edition of the Special Issue, now entitled “Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition”.

The utilization of polymeric materials has made our daily life considerably more convenient in recent years. However, most polymeric materials possess a fatal drawback: high flammability. Therefore, an increasing number of countries are introducing laws and regulations to ensure that flame-retardant treatment is compulsory for the polymeric materials used in many fields.

This Special Issue titled “Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition” focuses on novel flame retardants of polymers, the mechanisms and modes of action in the flame retardancy of polymers, the latest advances in current applications of flame-retardant polymeric materials, and the development of new methods for ecopolymeric materials or natural polymers.

We invite the research community to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting comprehensive reviews or original research articles.

Dr. Peng Jiang
Dr. Yuxiang Huang
Dr. Long Yan
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

flame retardants
flame-retardant polymeric materials
fire testing
ecopolymer composites
fire-retardant modes of action

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2645 KB

Open AccessArticle

Tailoring Flame Retardance and Thermal Conductivity of Epoxy/Benzoxazine Mixtures via Aluminum Trihydrate and Ceramic Hybridization

by Kyung-Soo Sung, Hye-Won Cho, Kyu-Hwan Kwon and Namil Kim

Polymers 2026, 18(5), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18050648 - 6 Mar 2026

Viewed by 391

Abstract

A composite meeting the UL94 V-0 rating was produced by adding 30 wt% epoxy silane-modified aluminum trihydrate (EPATH) to a 60/40 epoxy/benzoxazine matrix. Various bimodal and trimodal composites containing 20–40 wt% of three types of ceramic fillers, i.e., aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), boron nitride (BN), and magnesium oxide (MgO), were prepared to simultaneously achieve flame-retardant and thermal conductive properties. The bimodal composites with 40 wt% of Al₂O₃ and MgO exhibited thermal conductivities of 1.22 W/m∙K and 1.29 W/m∙K, respectively, which were superior to that of the composite containing the same amount of ATH (1.0 W/m∙K). In contrast, both the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and shear strength decreased with increasing ceramic filler content. For agglomerated BN, the filler loading was constrained above 30 wt% because its high specific volume caused a significant rise in the viscosity. In the trimodal composites with a total filler content of 40 wt% of Al₂O₃ and BN, a BN fraction of 7.5 wt% yielded the highest thermal conductivity of 1.64 W/m∙K and the lowest water absorption of 0.69%. When the trimodal composites were exposed to −55 °C and 150 °C for 1000 h, they exhibited a reduction in shear strength of less than 30% compared to their initial values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition)

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24 pages, 5927 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Brominated Epoxy Resin Content on Thermophysical and Mechanical Properties of Intumescent Fire-Protective Coatings

by Vladimir Kukushkin, Vyacheslav Subbotin, Nikolay Yashin and Victor Avdeev

Polymers 2026, 18(4), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18040484 - 14 Feb 2026

Viewed by 615

Abstract

Intumescent fire-protective coatings based on epoxy binders are widely used to enhance the fire resistance of steel structures due to their high adhesion, mechanical strength, and durability. However, epoxy binders undergo exothermic thermo-oxidative degradation, which can adversely affect fire-protective performance. In this study, the effect of brominated epoxy resin content on the fire-retardant behavior of intumescent coatings was investigated using two systems: one initially supporting flame propagation and one inherently self-extinguishing. For the initially combustible coating, partial substitution of the epoxy diane resin with a brominated analogue at 12.5% resulted in complete self-extinguishing behavior according to UL-94, while higher substitution levels (≥50%) caused a 20–28% reduction in fire-protective efficacy as assessed by BS 476. For the initially non-combustible coating, a decrease in fire-protective performance of 15–20% was observed regardless of the substitution degree. Thermal analysis showed that coatings containing brominated resins exhibit an onset of thermal degradation approximately 80 °C lower than halogen-free analogues. FTIR and SEM analyses revealed that brominated resins alter the thermolysis mechanism, promoting the formation of oxygen-containing degradation products and a more heterogeneous, irregularly porous foamed char, thereby reducing its thermal insulation capacity. Overall, brominated epoxy resins exert a dual effect, improving self-extinguishing behavior while impairing fire-protective efficacy under prolonged thermal exposure. Brominated resin contents in the range of 10–50% represent a practical compromise, enabling self-extinguishing behavior while maintaining acceptable fire-protective performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition)

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19 pages, 3880 KB

Open AccessArticle

Flame-Retardant Wood Scrimber/Plywood Composites: Preparation, Characterization, and Enhanced Structural Performance

by Liyuan Yao, Feifan Song, Ming Wei, Aijuan Wang, Xiaonan Xu, Zhilin Chen, Rui Rong and Peng Jiang

Polymers 2025, 17(18), 2556; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17182556 - 22 Sep 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1390

Abstract

Veneer-based wood composites are widely used for interior applications, yet their high flammability and smoke emission significantly limit their safe use in buildings. In this study, a multifunctional flame-retardant polyethylene adhesive film was developed via melt blending and hot pressing of a mixture of amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP), hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid (HDEP), melamine (MEL), and sodium alginate (SA). This film was laminated onto veneers to fabricate flame-retardant decorative plywood. Simultaneously, wood scrimber units for structural applications were prepared by impregnating wood with a flame-retardant system consisting of sodium silicate (Ss) and sodium tetraborate (St). These treated components were integrated to form a flame-retardant wood scrimber/plywood composite (AHM-S), with the wood scrimber as the core layer and the treated plywood as surface layers. Compared to the control, the AHM-S composite showed a 44.1% reduction in the second peak heat release rate (pk-HRR2), a 22.6% decrease in total heat release (THR), and a 12.7% reduction in maximum flame spread distance (MD_300°C). Moreover, the time to reach 275 °C on the unexposed side (T_275°C) was extended by 90.2%. These improvements are attributed to the synergistic flame-retardant effects of the surface film and impregnated core, which jointly suppress flame spread and delay thermal degradation. The composite demonstrates promising fire safety and mechanical performance for engineered wood applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition)

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12 pages, 3078 KB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Network Structure and Heat Resistance in Air of Boron-Modified Phenolic Resin Aerogel

by Tengfei Wu, Degang Wang, Qin Wang, Xiaolong Chen, Jie Ding and Xizhuo Yan

Polymers 2025, 17(7), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17070860 - 24 Mar 2025

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1236

Abstract

Phenolic aerogel is one of the most widely used lightweight thermal protective materials at present. With changes in the application environments, higher requirements are put forward for the heat resistance and mechanical properties of phenolic aerogel. In this paper, boric acid was used to modify phenolic resin, and then boron-modified phenolic aerogel was prepared. The chemical structure of modified phenolic resin was studied by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The microstructure, thermal stability, heat resistance in air, and compression resistance of phenolic aerogel were studied by volume shrinkage, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, high-temperature combustion test, and mechanical test. The results showed that the modification introduced boron oxygen bonds on the phenolic main chain. The compatibility difference between boron and phenolic resin with different content has a significant impact on the performance of phenolic aerogel. When boron content is 5–10% of phenolic resin, the network structure and thermal stability of phenolic aerogel can be significantly improved, and the maximum compressive strength of phenolic aerogel can also be improved. Boron-modified phenolic aerogel is expected to play an important role in the field of thermal insulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on the Thermal Properties and Flame Retardancy of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition)

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