Reactive Dialkyl Phosphinate Flame Retardant in Polyurethane Foam
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for sustainable, reactive, and halogen-free flame retardants for rigid polyurethane foams that are effective and do not pose health hazards by leaching into the environment.
Innovation Solution
The use of reactive dialkyl phosphorus-containing mono-hydroxyl-functional compounds, which are fully reactive and integrate into the polymer structure of rigid polyurethane foams, providing high phosphorus content, good compatibility with polyol components, and effective flame-retarding characteristics without disrupting the foam properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional brominated or phosphorus-based flame retardants are used, then flame-retarding effectiveness is improved, but environmental leaching and health hazards occur
Solution Approach 1:
The flame retardant compound is chemically bonded to the polyol and isocyanate components during foam formation, merging the flame retardant function with the polymer matrix structure. This covalent bonding prevents leaching while maintaining flame-retarding effectiveness throughout the foam's service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactive flame retardant compounds are pre-reacted with polyol and isocyanate before foam formation, incorporating the flame-retarding functionality into the polymer structure during the initial synthesis stage. This preliminary chemical bonding ensures the flame retardant remains permanently integrated and cannot leach out later.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If reactive flame retardants are used to prevent leaching, then environmental safety is improved, but compatibility with polyol components and foam properties may be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses mono-hydroxyl-functional compounds with specific molecular structures and hydroxyl functionality parameters that are optimized for compatibility with polyol and isocyanate components. By carefully selecting and adjusting these chemical parameters, the flame retardant reacts efficiently without disrupting the foam's physical properties or polymerization process.
3Reliability
If di- or tri-hydroxyl-functional dialkyl phosphinate compounds are used, then flame-retarding characteristics are improved, but formulation complexity and reactivity control become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential flame-retarding functionality from complex multi-hydroxyl compounds and implements it through simpler mono-hydroxyl-functional dialkyl phosphinate compounds. This extraction of the core functional element reduces formulation complexity while maintaining effective flame-retarding characteristics through the single reactive hydroxyl group.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These compounds serve as highly efficient reactive flame retardants, ensuring the flame retardant is integrated into the foam substrate, preventing environmental leaching and health hazards while maintaining the foam's properties, and can be used individually or in admixture with other flame retardants.
Implementation Method 1
The mono-hydroxyl-functional dialkyl phosphinate compounds are fully reactive through their single hydroxyl-functional group, and can be more easily formulated than di- or tri- hydroxyl-functional dialkyl phosphinate compounds. It has been surprisingly found that despite its lower content of hydroxyl-functionality, the reactive mono-hydroxyl functional dialkyl phosphinate compounds herein can be reacted and incorporated into the polymer structure of a rigid polyurethane foam, e.g., by reaction with the isocyanate component of the rigid polyurethane foam-forming system
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides fire -retarded rigid polyurethane foam comprising the reaction product of polyol and isocyanate foam forming components and a dialkyl phosphorus-containing compound, namely a reactive mono-hydroxyl-functional dialkyl phosphinates, as flame retardant, serving as highly efficient reactive flame retardant in said rigid polyurethane foam.