Thermal and flammability properties of polypropylene/carbon black nanocomposites

Polypropylene/carbon black (PP/CB) nanocomposites were prepared by melt compounding to investigate the effect of nanofiller loadings on the thermal and flammability properties of PP. The obtained nanocomposites displayed not only dramatically enhanced thermal stability both under nitrogen and in air, but also improved flame retardancy to some extent. Moreover, the higher the loading level of CB, the better was the improved effect. This enhanced mechanism was attributed mainly to trapping of peroxy radicals by CB nanoparticles at elevated temperature to form a gelled-ball crosslinked network, which act as a barrier to both heat and mass transfer. The thermal-oxidation cross-linking reaction was supported by the results of rheological properties, gel measurements and FTIR analysis. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.