Synergistic Effects of Feather Fibers and Phosphorus Compound on Chemically Modified Chicken Feather/Polypropylene Composites

We have developed a method of converting chicken feather to high-performance flame retardant through a solution-based chemical treatment. The synergistic effect of the chicken feather fiber and loaded ethylenediamine phosphate (EDAP) in the flame retardant chicken feather (FR CFF) allows the modified polypropylene (PP) composite to achieve the highest fire performance grade, V-0, in the vertical burning test and similar to 80% reduced peak heat release rate in the cone calorimeter test. Furthermore, FR CFF/PP shows a significantly lower drop in tensile strength compared to that of a conventional IFR/PP composite. Better char formation and improved interfacial bonding, ascribed to the FR CFF, are the main reasons for the simultaneous enhancements in flame retardancy and mechanical performance. The overall material properties of FR CFFs and the modified PP composites were investigated through mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, vertical burning tests, cone calorimeter characterizations, and tensile property evaluation.