Thermoplastics
Within high-performance application areas, the substitution of metal parts and engineering thermoplastics by commodity plastics is a typical trend. The reasons for that would be their cost, processability and efficiency since the technical performance of commodity thermoplastics has improved significantly. The majority of plastics are easily flammable materials, thus flame retardancy plays a critical role in their design and application. The FirePharma Group conducts research on fire safety science and engineering of different types of thermoplastic materials. A wide range of instruments is at our disposals, such as TGA, DSC, MDSC, micro-thermal analyzer, rheometer, mass loss (cone) calorimetry, micro cone calorimetry, oxygen index, FMVSS 302 and UL-94 standardised fire testing methods.
Thermoset resins
The research on flame retarded thermoset resins is mainly focused on epoxy polymers and their composites. The technical advantages of these high-performance resins can compensate for their elevated costs, predestining them to be used in applications with special requirements (i.e. electric, automotive, aviation). Since many of these epoxy products operate in high-risk environments, in addition to mechanical properties, fire hazard also needs to be addressed. Over the last three decades, our research group has gathered extensive experience and knowledge of phosphorus-based flame retardants which can act both in the gas phase, mainly at the beginning of degradation, and later in the solid phase, making them an eco-friendly alternative for halogenated flame retardants. Using bio-based monomers (sorbitol, glucofuranoside) and reinforcement (natural fibres), sustainable biocomposites can also be prepared.
Sustainable composites & foams
While fire safety is advantageous for the environment in itself (not to mention the benefits for mankind), we also place great emphasis on sustainable polymeric materials. Studies on the utilization of renewable and/or biodegradable substances like PLA, PBAT, PBS, cyclodextrin are in progress, exploring new application fields for biopolymers. To facilitate reprocessing, we develop self-reinforced composites (SRCs) in which the reinforcing fibres and the matrix material are made of the same polymer type. The investigation of various fibre production methods like electrospinning or melt-blowing provides support for pharmaceutical or composite purposes. Preparation of lightweight articles by physical and chemical foaming is also one of our research competencies, in which case porosities of 50-97% can be achieved, reducing the consumption of polymeric raw materials. Flame retardancy of the prepared composites and foams is a major challenge, thus it is one of our main research directions.