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Development of Flame-retardant Thermosetting Poly (Lactic acid) (PLA) and Its Curing Kinetics

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Abstract

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a bio-based polymer that is derived from renewable plant resources, such as corn, cassava, and other crops. It has a wide range of potential applications. However, currently, the PLA produced on an industrial scale is a thermoplastic polymer, which has poor mechanical strength and poor flame retardancy. These mediocre properties limit its potential uses in housings, structural interior of automotives, and packaging. The present study aimed to overcome the limitations of thermoplastic PLA by developing a synthesis route for producing thermosetting PLA with improved flame retardancy. The synthesis involved reacting 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) with itaconic acid (IA), polymerizing the product with pentaerythritol (PENTA) and lactic acid (LA) oligomer, and end-functionalizing with methacrylic anhydride (MAAH). The success of the synthesis was confirmed by analyzing the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H NMR) analysis. The curing kinetics is elaborated by Kissinger’s and Crane’s methods with outstanding fitting. Increasing the LA-to-PENTA ratio results in higher molecular weight and larger arm length, leading to less crosslinking density and lower phosphorus content. A 10:1 LA-to-PENTA mole ratio contributes to UL-94 V1 ranking, 24% limit oxygen index (LOI), 183 kJ/g heat release capacity (HRC), and 21.4 kJ/g total heat release (THR) indicating the admirable flame retardancy. The development of flame-retardant thermosetting PLA could be a significant step forward in expanding its potential applications and improving its properties.

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Data Availability

The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11872279, 12172258 and 11625210).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, P.R. China

    Zixuan Chen

  2. School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, P.R. China

    Zixuan Chen, Fei Sun, Huakun Zhao, Tao Yu, Weidong Yang, Qian Li & Yan Li

  3. The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Space Mapping and Remote Sensing for Planetary Exploration, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, P.R. China

    Tao Yu

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  1. Zixuan Chen
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  2. Fei Sun
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Contributions

Zixuan Chen: Data interpretation, Writing and Revising. Fei Sun: Experiment, Data collection. Tao Yu: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision. Huakun Zhao, Weidong Yang, Qian Li, Yan Li: Reviewing, Validation.

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Correspondence to Tao Yu.

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Chen, Z., Sun, F., Zhao, H. et al. Development of Flame-retardant Thermosetting Poly (Lactic acid) (PLA) and Its Curing Kinetics. J Polym Environ 31, 3573–3584 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02834-w

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