Ma Zhewen, Feng Jiabing, Huo Siqi, Sun Ziqi, Bourbigot Serge, Wang Hao, Gao Jiefeng, Tang Long-Cheng, Zheng Wei, Song Pingan
Interdisciplinary Materials Research Center, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201804, China.
Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, 4300, Australia.
Adv Mater. 2024 Nov;36(44):e2410453. doi: 10.1002/adma.202410453. Epub 2024 Aug 30.
Fire-retardant coatings represent a universal cost-effective approach to providing fire protection for various substrates without compromising substrates' bulk properties. However, it has been attractive yet highly challenging to create waterborne polymeric fire-retardant coatings combining high-efficiency, generally strong adhesion, and self-repairability due to a lack of rational design principles. Inspired by mussel's unique adhesive, self-healing, and char-forming mechanisms, herein, a "group synergy" design strategy is proposed to realize the combination of self-healing, strong adhesion, and high efficiency in a fully polymeric fire-retardant coating via multiple synergies between catechol, phosphonic, and hydroxyethyl groups. As-created fire-retardant coating exhibits a rapid room-temperature self-healing ability and strong adhesion to (non)polar substrates due to multiple dynamic non-covalent interactions enabled by these groups. Because these functional groups enable the formation of a robust structurally intact yet slightly expanded char layer upon exposure to flame, a 200 µm-thick such coating can make extremely flammable polystyrene foam very difficult to ignite and self-extinguishing, which far outperforms previous strategies. Moreover, this coating can provide universal exceptional fire protection for a variety of substrates from polymer foams, and timber, to fabric and steel. This work presents a promising material design principle to create next-generation sustainable high-performance fire-retardant coatings for general fire protection.
阻燃涂料是一种通用的经济有效方法，可为各种基材提供防火保护，而不会损害基材的整体性能。然而，由于缺乏合理的设计原则，制备兼具高效、通常较强附着力和自修复性的水性聚合物阻燃涂料一直具有吸引力但极具挑战性。受贻贝独特的粘附、自修复和成炭机制的启发，本文提出了一种“基团协同”设计策略，通过儿茶酚、膦酸和羟乙基基团之间的多重协同作用，在全聚合物阻燃涂料中实现自修复、强附着力和高效性的结合。所制备的阻燃涂料由于这些基团实现的多种动态非共价相互作用，表现出快速的室温自修复能力以及对（非）极性基材的强附着力。由于这些官能团在暴露于火焰时能够形成结构完整但略有膨胀的坚固炭层，200微米厚的这种涂料可使极易燃烧的聚苯乙烯泡沫极难点燃并实现自熄，这远远优于先前的策略。此外，这种涂料可为从聚合物泡沫、木材到织物和钢材等各种基材提供普遍优异的防火保护。这项工作提出了一种很有前景的材料设计原则，以制备用于一般防火保护的下一代可持续高性能阻燃涂料。
