Flame-retardant Polyurethane Dielectric Elastomers: Design, Fabrication, and Electroactuation Performance

Xing-yu Shang; Xiao Yu; Hui-li Jin; Yuan-long Song; Zhi-peng Song; Hua-jun Xu; You-hua Xiao

doi:10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2025.25132

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Flame-retardant Polyurethane Dielectric Elastomers: Design, Fabrication, and Electroactuation Performance

Research Article | 更新时间：2025-10-29

- Flame-retardant Polyurethane Dielectric Elastomers: Design, Fabrication, and Electroactuation Performance
- Acta Polymerica Sinica Vol. 56, Issue 11, Pages: 1997-2010(2025)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.浙江农林大学化学与材料工程学院杭州 311300
  2.杭州海维特化工科技有限公司杭州 311399
- 作者简介：
  
  You-hua Xiao, E-mail: xiaoyouhua@zafu.edu.cn
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2025.25132
  CLC：
- CSTR：32057.14.GFZXB.2025.7447
- Received：21 May 2025，
  
  Accepted：10 July 2025，
  
  Published Online：26 September 2025，
  
  Published：20 November 2025
- 稿件说明：
移动端阅览
尚星宇, 俞骁, 金慧丽, 宋元龙, 宋志鹏, 许华君, 肖友华. 阻燃型聚氨酯介电弹性体的设计制备及其电驱动性能研究. 高分子学报, 2025, 56(11), 1997-2010

Shang, X. Y.; Yu, X.; Jin, H. L.; Song, Y. L.; Song, Z. P.; Xu, H. J.; Xiao, Y. H. Flame-retardant polyurethane dielectric elastomers: design, fabrication, and electroactuation performance. Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2025, 56(11), 1997-2010
尚星宇, 俞骁, 金慧丽, 宋元龙, 宋志鹏, 许华君, 肖友华. 阻燃型聚氨酯介电弹性体的设计制备及其电驱动性能研究. 高分子学报, 2025, 56(11), 1997-2010 DOI： 10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2025.25132. CSTR： 32057.14.GFZXB.2025.7447.

Shang, X. Y.; Yu, X.; Jin, H. L.; Song, Y. L.; Song, Z. P.; Xu, H. J.; Xiao, Y. H. Flame-retardant polyurethane dielectric elastomers: design, fabrication, and electroactuation performance. Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2025, 56(11), 1997-2010 DOI： 10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2025.25132. CSTR： 32057.14.GFZXB.2025.7447.

摘要

介电弹性体(DE)材料在外电场作用下可发生电致驱动变形，能够将电能转换成机械能，在柔性驱动器和软体机器人等领域具有广阔的应用前景. 然而，DE材料在高电场下驱动时存在电击穿燃烧风险. 为此，本研究以木质素衍生物丁香醛为原料设计合成了一种生物基磷氮型阻燃剂(DHBOP)，并将其作为聚氨酯(PU)硬段改性剂改性制备阻燃型PU-DE材料. 结果表明，在PU硬段中引入刚性阻燃剂结构能够避免材料的硬化问题，改性PU的初始模量小于0.5 MPa，符合DE材料电场驱动时的柔软要求. 相比于未阻燃改性的PU-DE材料，当PU预聚物的硬段中含阻燃剂结构的占比超过50%时，可实现UL-94 V-0评级；并且当PU预聚物的硬段中都含DHBOP时(100% DHBOP-PU)，其总释放热以及峰值热释放速率分别最大减少了26%和35%，热失重残炭率从未改性PU-DE材料的0.31 wt%增加至的9.99 wt%，熔滴质量最大减少了62%. 在无预拉伸驱动下，50% DHBOP-PU材料在52 MV/m的电场强度下可获得最大的面积应变为63%，该阻燃改性PU材料在DE驱动防火方面有重要意义，将为未来人机交互提供更安全的材料支撑.

Abstract

Dielectric elastomer (DE) materials exhibit electro-induced actuation deformation under external electric fields

enabling efficient conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy

demonstrating promising applications in flexible actuators and soft robotics. However

DE materials face inherent risks of electrical breakdown and combustion during high-field actuation. To address this challenge

this study designed and synthesized a bio-based phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardant (DHBOP) from lignin-derived syringaldehyde

which was subsequently incorporated as a hard-segment modifier to develop flame-retardant PU-DE materials. Key findings reveal that introducing the rigid flame-retardant structure into PU hard segments effectively prevents material hardening issues. The modified PU demonstrates a low initial modulus (<0.5 MPa)

satisfying the softness requirements for electric field-driven DE materials. Compared with pristine PU-DE

the modified PU-DE materials achieves UL-94 V-0 rating when the flame-retardant content exceeds 50% in the hard segments of PU prepolymer. Notably

the 100% DHBOP-PU formulation exhibits remarkable fire safety improvements: total heat release (THR) and peak heat release rate (PHRR) are reduced by 26% and 35%

respectively

while the residual char yield increases from 0.31 wt% to 9.99 wt% during thermogravimetric analysis. Melt dripping mass shows a maximum 62% reduction. Without pre-stretching

the 50% DHBOP-PU achieves maximum 63% area strain under 52 MV/m electric field

maintaining high actuation performance. This work provides a strategy for developing fire-safety DE actuators

with significant implications for human-machine interactive systems.

关键词

Keywords

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