Designing Highly Flame-Retardant Wood Through an In Situ Chemical Modification Strategy

In order to improve the specimens’ flame-retardant qualities, ethyl orthosilicate was impregnated into them using a combination of the delignification process and the in situ growing approach. Lignification has been demonstrated to increase the cellular gap of the specimen and to maximize the impregnation of ethyl orthosilicate. Moreover, the in situ growth method results in the combination of specimens containing silica manufactured from ethyl orthosilicate, thereby forming a composite material with enhanced flame-retardant properties. The examination of the changes in the properties of the specimens before and after modification was conducted using FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, SEM, and other experimental techniques. The modified specimens exhibited higher properties in comparison to the untreated specimens. Furthermore, the modified specimens exhibited enhanced mechanical properties, characterized by an augmented compressive strength of 34.9 MPa and a strength-to-weight ratio of 158 MPa·cm·g–1, in comparison to specimens that did not undergo the modification process. The results of experiments show that proposed green technology provides a new method for producing flame-retardant composites and could significantly improve the mechanical and flame-retardant qualities of wood.