A Phosphorus/Nitrogen-containing Phosphaphenanthrene Derivative as Flame Retardant for Poly(lactic acid)

Shan Lin; Hong-Yan Zhu; Chun-Meng You; Da-Ming Ban

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3634-5

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A Phosphorus/Nitrogen-containing Phosphaphenanthrene Derivative as Flame Retardant for Poly(lactic acid)

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-07-01

- A Phosphorus/Nitrogen-containing Phosphaphenanthrene Derivative as Flame Retardant for Poly(lactic acid)
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 7, Pages: 2282-2293(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
- Author bio：
  
  bdaming@gznu.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3634-5
  CLC：
- Received：04 January 2026，
  
  Accepted：25 February 2026，
  
  Online First：14 May 2026，
  
  Published：05 July 2026
- Accepted：
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Lin, S.; Zhu, H. Y.; You, C. M.; Ban, D. M. A phosphorus/nitrogen-containing phosphaphenanthrene derivative as flame retardant for poly(lactic acid). Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 2282–2293

Shan Lin, Hong-Yan Zhu, Chun-Meng You, et al. A Phosphorus/Nitrogen-containing Phosphaphenanthrene Derivative as Flame Retardant for Poly(lactic acid)[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(7): 2282-2293.
Lin, S.; Zhu, H. Y.; You, C. M.; Ban, D. M. A phosphorus/nitrogen-containing phosphaphenanthrene derivative as flame retardant for poly(lactic acid). Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 2282–2293 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3634-5.

Shan Lin, Hong-Yan Zhu, Chun-Meng You, et al. A Phosphorus/Nitrogen-containing Phosphaphenanthrene Derivative as Flame Retardant for Poly(lactic acid)[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(7): 2282-2293. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3634-5.

摘要

A phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardant (FMPO) was synthesized

which endows poly(lactic acid) with high flame retardancy at a low loading

exhibiting synergistic gas-phase and condensed-phase flame-retardant effects.

Abstract

As a bio-based and biodegradable aliphatic polyester

poly(lactic acid) (PLA) holds great promise as a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum-derived plastics. However

its inherent flammability remains a critical barrier to its use in advanced polymer composites requiring stringent fire-safety standards. In this work

a phosphorus/nitrogen-containing flame retardant (FMPO) was synthesized from melamine (MEL)

formaldehyde (FA) and 9

10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) at a 1:1 molar ratio to serve as a flame-retardant modifier for PLA. The results demonstrated that with only 1 wt% FMPO loading

the PLA composite achieved a UL-94 V-0 rating

and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) increased significantly to 33.2% by 5 wt%. At the same flame retardant content

PLA/5MEL only showed a LOI of 26.8% and a UL-94 V-2 rating. Meanwhile

the mechanical strength of PLA/5FMPO was significantly improved

exhibiting 136% and 41% higher impact strength and tensile strength than PLA/5MEL. The analysis of char residue and incomplete combustion products revealed that FMPO exhibits a bi-phase flame-retardant effect

characterized by gaseous-phase inert-gas dilution and radical quenching

along with a condensed-phase thermal barrier from the carbon layer. This study demonstrates an efficient and sustainable strategy for fabricating high-performance

flame-retardant PLA materials through P/N synergistic fire resistance.

关键词

Keywords

references

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