Wood-plastics composites with better fire retardancy and durability performance

This study concerns the preparation and study of wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The matrix used was high density polyethylene. Results showed that the addition of wood fibres increased mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and compression) of the neat plastic remarkably. Additives such as fire retardants and light stabilizers were added to improve properties like fire retardancy and durability performance. The addition of fire retardants could lead to auto-extinguishing materials when ammonium polyphosphate or aluminium hydroxide were used. Outdoor durability depended on both the light stabilizer and the fire retardant added to the formulation. The fire retardant worsened the outdoor durability. However, stabilized fire retarded-WPCs showed much lower fading than non-stabilized non-fire retarded composites and several industrial samples. Stabilized composites with aluminium hydroxide as fire retardant showed the best overall results with a fading degree even lower than the stabilized non-fire retarded composite. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.