Construction of Zinc Ion-reinforced Melamine Phosphate Flame Retardant for Synergistic Enhancement of Flame Retardancy and Energy Absorption in Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Foams

Xian-Sheng Hong; Yu-Ying Zheng

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3672-z

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Construction of Zinc Ion-reinforced Melamine Phosphate Flame Retardant for Synergistic Enhancement of Flame Retardancy and Energy Absorption in Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Foams

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-07-15

- Construction of Zinc Ion-reinforced Melamine Phosphate Flame Retardant for Synergistic Enhancement of Flame Retardancy and Energy Absorption in Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Foams
- Construction of Zinc Ion-reinforced Melamine Phosphate Flame Retardant for Synergistic Enhancement of Flame Retardancy and Energy Absorption in Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Foams
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science 2026年44卷第8期页码：2758-2774
- Affiliations：
  
  a.College of Material Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
  b.School of Materials and Packaging Engineering, Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, Fuzhou 350300, China
- Author bio：
  
  yyzheng@fzu.edu.cn
- Funds：
  
  This work was financially supported by the Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Program Project (No. 2025H6033) and Fujian Provincial Young and Middle-Aged Teachers’ Education and Research Project (No. JAT241082), and Foundation for Cultivated Young Talents of Fujian Province, China (No. 2025350180).;The authors declare no interest conflict.Electronic supplementary information (ESI) is available free of charge in the online version of this article at http://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3672-z.The related data of this paper is data that should not be shared, and can be obtained from the author for reasonable reasons. The author’s contact information: yyzheng@fzu.edu.cn.
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3672-z
  中图分类号：
- 收稿：2026-02-11，
  
  修回：2026-03-14，
  
  录用：2026-03-17，
  
  网络首发：2026-07-15，
  
  纸质出版：2026-08-15
- Accepted：
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Hong, X. S.; Zheng, Y. Y. Construction of zinc ion-reinforced melamine phosphate flame retardant for synergistic enhancement of flame retardancy and energy absorption in ethylene-vinyl acetate foams. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 2758–2774

Xian-Sheng Hong, Yu-Ying Zheng. Construction of Zinc Ion-reinforced Melamine Phosphate Flame Retardant for Synergistic Enhancement of Flame Retardancy and Energy Absorption in Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Foams[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(8): 2758-2774.
Hong, X. S.; Zheng, Y. Y. Construction of zinc ion-reinforced melamine phosphate flame retardant for synergistic enhancement of flame retardancy and energy absorption in ethylene-vinyl acetate foams. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 2758–2774 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3672-z.

Xian-Sheng Hong, Yu-Ying Zheng. Construction of Zinc Ion-reinforced Melamine Phosphate Flame Retardant for Synergistic Enhancement of Flame Retardancy and Energy Absorption in Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Foams[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(8): 2758-2774. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3672-z.

摘要

Zinc ion chelated melamine phosphate (MPP) optimizes pore structure and forms a dual-phase barrier

significantly enhancing foam energy absorption and flame retardancy

via

combined gas and char reinforcement.

Abstract

The foam materials used in cushioning and protective applications often face a trade-off between flame retardancy and energy absorption. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foams are lightweight

flexible

and highly flammable

which restricts their broader engineering applications. In this study

a multifunctional additive

silane-modified zinc ion–reinforced melamine phosphate (ZnMP)

was developed

via in situ

ion complexation and surface grafting to overcome the incompatibility between flame retardancy and mechanical performance in conventional intumescent systems. Compared to pristine melamine phosphate (MPP)

ZnMP forms a coordinated structure through Zn

interactions with nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing groups. When incorporated into the EVA foams at 15 wt%

ZnMP acted as an efficient heterogeneous nucleating agent

generating a dense microporous structure. Meanwhile

the silane coupling agent enhanced the interfacial interaction between the ZnMP and the EVA matrix

enabling effective reinforcement. Consequently

the EVA/ZnMP foam exhibited significantly improved mechanical properties

including a 144.3% increase in storage modulus

21.4% increase in energy adsorption

and 88.6% cyclic compression retention after 10 cycles (80% strain). In addition

promoted the formation of a compact char layer during combustion

leading to excellent flame-retardant performance with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 25.3%

UL-94 V-0 rating

and a 41.0% reduction in the peak heat release rate. This ion-coordination and interfacial modification strategy offers a promising route for developing lightweight EVA foams with balanced mechanical reinforcements a

nd flame-retardant properties for cushioning and protective applications.

关键词

Keywords

references

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