Phoshor-containing flame retardants on textiles: investigation of the structure-dependent mode of action in basic experiments

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Burak Atakan; Dr. Thomas Mayer-Gall
• Subject Area: Technical Thermodynamics ; Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 517869745

The structure-dependent mode of action and effectiveness of flame retardants on polymers and textiles is still unclear, since flame retardation is a very complex process that usually takes place transiently and varies depending on the location, in which transport processes and chemical processes are coupled in the condensed as well as in the gas phase. In order to better understand the fundamentals of the mode of action, on the one hand the influence of substituents on phosphorus-containing flame retardants on two important textile fibers (cotton and PET) is to be investigated in a cooperative project by systematically varying the flame retardants, and on the other hand a new generic experiment is to be set up and used that enables a stationary investigation of the gas phase with mass spectrometric methods. Here, the permeability of textiles by well-defined and temperature-controlled gas mixtures is exploited. In combination with the investigation of the residues as well as established - but less detailed - investigation methods of flame retardants, mechanistic insights into the mode of action of flame retardants in both phases are expected to be obtained, as well as insights into the influence of substituents on the effectiveness of flame retardancy.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants