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Polymers
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Challenges and Innovations in Fire Safety Polymeric Materials
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Challenges and Innovations in Fire Safety Polymeric Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3111

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jun Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Fire Safety Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
Interests: flame-retardant materials; nanocomposites; multifunctional flame-retardant polymers; bio-based flame retardants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer materials have been widely used in our daily life due to their light weight, easy production, and good processing performance. However, most polymers are flammable. With the increasing concern about fire hazards, fire safety polymeric materials have developed rapidly in the past decades. Recently, a great deal of effort has been devoted to the construction of fire safety materials, including plastics, rubbers, fabrics, coatings, and adhesives. This Special Issue in Polymers aims to disseminate the latest research on the development of fire-safe polymeric materials, grounded in scientific and technological advances in fire prevention concepts, fire-extinguishing mechanisms, and fire-protection applications.

Dr. Jun Sun
Guest Editor

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
  • multifunctional fire-retardant polymers
  • flame retardant fabrics
  • fire-resistant coatings
  • flame retardant composites
  • bio-based fire retardants
  • fire-safety battery materials

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 6065 KB  
Article
A Core–Shell Elastic Flame Retardant with Superior Migration Resistance for Fire-Safe and Toughened Polyamide 66
by Jingfan Zhang, Xiao-Jie Li, Guowen Ran, Xiaoting Fu, Haisheng Xie, Xiangtian Yu and Chaofeng Chen
Polymers 2026, 18(3), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18030363 - 29 Jan 2026
Viewed by 529
Abstract
A major challenge for halogen-free flame retardants is their tendency to migrate under high-temperature and high-humidity environments. For instance, the combination of aluminum diethylphosphinate (ADP) and melamine polyphosphate (MPP) used in polyamide 66 (PA66) easily migrated to the surface, leading to a white [...] Read more.
A major challenge for halogen-free flame retardants is their tendency to migrate under high-temperature and high-humidity environments. For instance, the combination of aluminum diethylphosphinate (ADP) and melamine polyphosphate (MPP) used in polyamide 66 (PA66) easily migrated to the surface, leading to a white and frost-like appearance. To address this issue, a core–shell elastic flame retardant (SiR@FR) was prepared via a solution deposition method, wherein a polymethylsiloxane (SiR) layer was encapsulated on the surface of ADP and MPP. This shell not only improved the hydrophobicity of the FR but also the toughness of PA66. Experimental results demonstrated that PA66 with 9-SiR@FR (PA66-5) exhibited excellent migration resistance, with no visible surface whitening after 480 h of aging at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity. Meanwhile, PA66-5 displayed outstanding flame retardancy, achieving a UL-94 V-0 rating with an approximate 65% decrease in peak heat release rate compared with control PA66. Furthermore, SiR@FR enhanced the toughness of PA66 by alleviating stress concentration, resulting in a 21% increase in impact strength. This study presents a simple but reliable encapsulation strategy for fabricating flame-retardant PA66 composites that combine superior migration resistance and satisfactory mechanical properties, showing promising potential for demanding applications requiring long-term usability and stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Innovations in Fire Safety Polymeric Materials)
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18 pages, 5283 KB  
Article
Construction of a P/N/Zn Synergist for Enhancing the Fire Safety and Char Formation of PA6/Aluminum Diethylphosphinate Composites
by Qinghua Peng, Yifang Hua, Jingjing Yang, Yujia Wang, Gehao Guo, Wanen Li, Jun Sun, Xiaoyu Gu, Jianhua Li and Sheng Zhang
Polymers 2026, 18(3), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18030351 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 449
Abstract
Polyamide 6 is an important engineering thermoplastic; however, its practical use is often constrained by its high flammability. Although aluminum diethylphosphinate is widely employed as a flame retardant for polyamide 6, its relatively slow char-forming kinetics hinders the attainment of the stringent 750 [...] Read more.
Polyamide 6 is an important engineering thermoplastic; however, its practical use is often constrained by its high flammability. Although aluminum diethylphosphinate is widely employed as a flame retardant for polyamide 6, its relatively slow char-forming kinetics hinders the attainment of the stringent 750 °C glow-wire ignition temperature required for electrical applications at moderate loadings. To address this limitation, a synergist was fabricated via the self-assembly of phytic acid, benzoguanamine, and ZnSO4·7H2O and subsequently incorporated to enhance the char-forming capability and flame retardancy of polyamide 6/aluminum diethylphosphinate composites. The results revealed that the synergist acted as an efficient charring promoter, improving flame retardancy. At a total loading of 15 wt%, the composite reached a UL-94 V-0 rating and high limiting oxygen index of 30.7%. Cone calorimetry data indicate that the peak heat release rate decreased by 34.0%, and the smoke production rate decreased by 33.3% compared with the polyamide 6/aluminum diethylphosphinate composites. Mechanistic analysis indicated that the synergist catalyzed the carbonization of the polyamide 6, enabling the formation of a dense thermally insulating char barrier in the condensed phase. Notably, the optimized formulation achieved a glow-wire ignition temperature of 750 °C, demonstrating its strong potential for high-safety electrical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Innovations in Fire Safety Polymeric Materials)
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20 pages, 4640 KB  
Article
Cooperative Effect of Ammonium Polyphosphate and Talcum for Enhancing Fire-Proofing Performance of Silicone Rubber-Based Insulators via Formation of a HIGH-Strength Barrier Layer
by Dong Zhao, Yihan Jiang, Yong Fang, Tingwei Wang and Yucai Shen
Polymers 2026, 18(2), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020283 - 20 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
Enhancing the flame retardancy of polymeric materials by adding only eco-friendly ammonium polyphosphate (APP) while simultaneously maintaining high-temperature resistance has become a challenge. Talcum has been introduced as a cooperative agent into the silicone rubber/APP system to investigate the effect of talcum on [...] Read more.
Enhancing the flame retardancy of polymeric materials by adding only eco-friendly ammonium polyphosphate (APP) while simultaneously maintaining high-temperature resistance has become a challenge. Talcum has been introduced as a cooperative agent into the silicone rubber/APP system to investigate the effect of talcum on flame retardancy, thermal stability, and high-temperature resistance. The machining process induces the orientation of talcum in the system. The ceramifiable silicone rubber blends containing oriented talcum (e.g., sample SA6T4) exhibited superb flame retardancy, including an LOI of 29.4%, a UL-94 rating of V-0, and a peak heat release rate (PHRR) of 250.2 kW·m−2. More importantly, the blends present excellent thermal stability and high-temperature resistance, characterized by outstanding self-supporting properties and dimensional stability. Based on the structural analysis of the blends and their residues, the made of action for the improved flame retardancy may be attributed to the formation of a compact barrier layer. This layer is formed by oriented talcum platelets combined with phosphoric acid, from the thermal decomposition of APP, promoting crosslinking, thereby achieving a good inhibition barrier to inhibit heat feedback from the condensation zone. The excellent thermal stability and high-temperature resistance of the ceramifiable silicone rubber blends may be ascribed to a cooperative effect between APP and talcum at high temperatures, which facilitates the formation of ceramic structures. The novel ceramifiable silicone rubber composite has potential applications as flame-retardant sealing components for rail transit equipment and encapsulation materials for new energy battery modules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Innovations in Fire Safety Polymeric Materials)
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