Effect of anionic organoclay with special aggregate structure on the flame retardancy of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene/clay composites

Two organoclays, octadecylammonium modified montmorillonite (COM) and an anionic surfactant modified montmorillonite (AOM), were used to prepare acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)/clay composites. The flammability of these composites was evaluated by cone calorimetry. COM enhanced the flame retardancy of ABS/COM composite due to the catalysis by acidic sites originating from COM. Interestingly, AOM presented a similar flame retardancy to ABS/AOM composite, although AOM did not form the acidic sites. The morphology observation showed that the dispersion degree of AOM in ABS resin was lower than that of COM, which was also confirmed by the rheological properties of ABS composites. The investigations on the surface of the residue after cone calorimeter tests showed that the better flame retardancy of ABS/AOM composite was mainly due to the special structure of AOM. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.