Improving Fire Retardancy of Beech Wood by Graphene

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to improve the fire retardancy of beech wood by graphene. Six fire properties, namely time to onset of ignition, time to onset of glowing, back-darkening time, back-holing time, burnt area and weight loss were measured using a newly developed apparatus with piloted ignition. A set of specimens was treated with nano-wollastonite (NW) for comparison with the results of graphene-treated specimens. Graphene and NW were mixed in a water-based paint and brushed on the front and back surface of specimens. Results demonstrated significant improving effects of graphene on times to onset of ignition and glowing. Moreover, graphene drastically decreased the burnt area. Comparison between graphene- and NW-treated specimens demonstrated the superiority of graphene in all six fire properties measured here. Fire retardancy impact of graphene was attributed to its very low reaction ability with oxygen, as well as its high and low thermal conductivity in in-plane and cross-section directions, respectively. The improved fire-retardancy properties by the addition of graphene in paint implied its effectiveness in hindering the spread of fire in buildings and structures, providing a longer timespan to extinguish a fire, and ultimately reducing the loss of life and property. Based on the improvements in fire properties achieved in graphene-treated specimens, it was concluded that graphene has a great potential to be used as a fire retardant in solid wood species.

Engineering Composites Made from Wood and Chicken Feather Bonded with UF Resin Fortified with Wollastonite: A Novel Approach

“…In this way, the reinforcement of UF resin by wollastonite caused higher integration of fiber in the composite-matrix, preventing water to easily pass through. Similar reinforcement in resin and paint was previously reported by the addition of wollastonite and graphene [15]. Moreover, the formation of bonds between wollastonite and wood polymers prevented wood hydroxyl groups to be actively involved in making bonds with water molecules [25,26], decreasing WA in all treatments.…”

“…Wollastonite improved modulus of rupture in all panels. This improvement was attributed to reinforcement of resin [15,46], as well as formation of new bonds between wollastonite and wood polymers [25,26]. The addition of feathers to the MDF panels significantly decreased modulus of rupture.…”

“…Moreover, numerous studies have been focused on the limitation of formaldehyde emission and on the improvement of the resin bond [11]. The heat-transferring properties of metals and improving effects of different materials at micro-and nano-scales [12][13][14][15][16][17] were also found to decrease hot press time and to improve the physicomechanical properties in wood composites [6,18]. Under this frame, wollastonite (as a silicate mineral, CaSiO 3 ) was found to improve the biological and physicomechanical properties of both solid wood and wood based panels, as well as to improve the fire retardancy and to increase thermal conductivity coefficient in medium-density fiberboards (MDF) [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26], therefore, the first aim of the present study was to find out possible effects that wollastonite may have on physical and mechanical properties of two engineering wood composites, namely medium-density fiberboards and particleboards.…”

Advances in Wood Composites II

“…In another study, nano-wollastonite and graphene were mixed in a water-based paint in order to investigate the fire properties of beech wood [33]. The results indicated that graphene presents a high potential to be applied as a fire retardant in the protection of wood and wood composites.…”

Application of Nanotechnology in Wood-Based Products Industry: A Review

“…Wang et al [ 181 ] introduced zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxide (Zn–Al LDH) nanostructures to wood and found that the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total smoke production were reduced by 55% and 47%, respectively, compared to those of the pristine wood [ 181 ]. Nanostructured carbon materials such as graphene was also proven to have a great potential to be used as an effective fire retardant in wood and wood-composite materials for surface protection against fire [ 182 ].…”