Effect of flame-retardant melamine and dispersants on the mechanical, thermal, and foaming properties of flexible polyurethane foam

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of adding flame-retardant melamine and five different dispersants on the precipitation, foaming, mechanical, and thermal properties of flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF). Precipitation experiments were conducted to analyze the effect of dispersant on the separation of flame retardant and polyol, and the foaming characteristics of polyurethane (PU) foam after adding dispersant were analyzed. The effect of adding a dispersant on mechanical strength was characterized by measuring tensile strength, tearing strength, and hardness, and scanning electron microscopy analysis was performed to analyze morphological characteristics. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed to analyze the thermal properties of PU foam. A horizontal flame test, limiting oxygen index test, and cone calorimeter tests were conducted to examine the flame retardancy of PU foam with flame retardant melamine and dispersant added. The dispersant ANTI-TERRA-U is a solution of a salt of unsaturated polyamine amides and low-molecular acidic polyesters. And, the dispersant BYK-220S is a solution of a low molecular weight, unsaturated acidic polycarboxylic acid polyester with a polysiloxane copolymer. The dispersants ANTI-TERRA-U and BYK-220S improved the density, tensile strength, tear strength, and hardness of FPUF. TGA of the top and bottom portions of the foam showed less weight difference for samples containing dispersants, indicating better homogeneity due to improved dispersibility. Therefore, we conclude that dispersants are beneficial additives to improve the mechanical properties and dispersibility of PU foam.