Thermal degradation and flammability properties of HDPE/EVA/C60 nanocomposites

The thermal and flame retardancy properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/ethylene vinyl-acetate copolymer(EVA)/fullerene (C-60) nanocomposites were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cone calorimetry with C-60 loading varied from 0.5 to 2% by mass fraction. Dispersion of C-60 in HDPE/EVA blend was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TGA and DSC results showed that the presence of C-60 could remarkably enhance the thermal stability, and cone calorimeter measurements indicated that incorporating C-60 could result in a significant reduction in the peak heat release rate and a much longer time to ignition of the HDPE/EVA blend. Furthermore, the larger the C-60 loading level, the better the flame retardancy of HDPE/EVA/C-60 nanocomposites. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.