Enhancing fire safety and transparency: Phytic acid-based flame-retardant coatings with silicon dioxide synergistic effect for polyacrylate substrates

The development of transparent flame-retardant coatings has garnered significant attention due to their potential applications in enhancing fire safety while maintaining aesthetic appeal. This study investigates the synthesis and characterization of a phosphorus‑nitrogen (P N) synergistic flame-retardant system, referred to as PD, which is synthesized from phytic acid (PA) and dicyandiamide (DICY) for polyacrylate substrates. Through a series of experimental analyses including XPS, FTIR, TGA, SEM-EDS, and cone calorimetry, the flame-retardant efficacy and mechanisms of the PD/SiO 2 composite were investigated. The results demonstrate that the incorporation of PD/SiO 2 effectively enhances the flame retardancy of polyacrylate coatings, manifesting promising gas-phase and condensed-phase flame retardant effects. The coatings exhibit excellent stability, compatibility, and adhesion with polyacrylate substrates, while maintaining high levels of light transmittance and mechanical properties. Moreover, the optimized formulations show improved water resistance and meet stringent flame-retardant standards such as LOI and UL-94. The study underscores the potential of transparent flame-retardant coatings in various industries and highlights avenues for further optimization and practical application.