The Fire Retardance Effectiveness of High Molecular Weight, High Oxygen Containing Inorganic Additives in Cellulosic and Synthetic Materials

摘要

A feasibility study was conducted to determine whether high-molecular-weight inorganic additives, particularly those with high oxygen content, can be used effectively as permanent flame retardants for cotton, rayon, roofing material, nylon, and polyester. Results show that cellulosic materials treated with either phosphomolybdic acid, phosphotungstic acid, or ammonium phosphotungstate do not sustain flaming ignition when exposed to an irradiance of 6.2 cal/sq cm-sec from a CO2 laser for 6.3 seconds. Furthermore, the retardant treatment caused a drastic change in the decomposition products of the materials and increased the yields of char. More extensive evaluation of the efficiency of these treatments and of the technique is needed to substantiate the present findings. Comparison of the results of isothermal pyrolysis of cotton with those of alpha-cellulose suggests that there might be differences in the kinetics of decomposition of the two materials.