Effect of Fire Retardants in Improvement of Combustion Behavior and Thermal Decomposition of Polyurethane Foams: A Review

Polyurethane foams are extensively used in different applications such as furnituresand sandwich structures due to better mechanical properties, higheracoustic and damping behavior, higher resistance to hydrocarbon, and aging.With respect to flammability of polyurethane materials and safety precaution in livingand working environments there is a vital need to study and investigate publishedworks on thermal decomposition, combustion and fire retardancy of polyurethanematerials. Recently a new approach in improved applications of flame retardant additivesand nano-composite polyurethane has been met. In this review, the thermaldecomposition, combustion and fire retardancy of polyurethane foams are discussedand the effects of halogenic materials as flame retardants, inorganic compounds,blowing agents, phosphorus compounds in the form of organic and inorganic reactiveadditives, expandable graphite and new products based on nanocomposites areintroduced and classified.