Effects of Modified Layered Double Hydroxides on the Thermal Degradation and Combustion Behaviors of Intumescent Flame Retardant Polyethylene Nanocomposites

The flame retardancy of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) correlates with their structure and dispersion in a polymeric matrix. To improve the flame retardant effectiveness of Mg-Al LDH in polyethylene (PE), 2-carboxy ethyl (phenyl) phosphinic acid (CEPPA) was adopted as a flame retardant modifier to prepare CEPPA-intercalated LDH (CLDH) by the regeneration method, which was then exfoliated in PE by melt blending in the form of a masterbatch prepared from solution mixing. By compounding CLDH with intumescent flame retardant (IFR) composed of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER), the thermal degradation and combustion behaviors of the flame retardant PE-based composites were investigated to reveal the flame retardant mechanism between CLDH and IFR in PE. The reactions between CLDH and IFR were revealed to make a predominant contribution to the compact and fully developed char of PE/IFR/CLDH, which enhanced the flame retardancy of the composites.

Automated summary

The flame retardant effectiveness of Mg-Al LDH in polyethylene (PE) was improved by introducing 2-carboxy ethyl (phenyl) phosphinic acid (CEPPA) as a flame retardant modifier to prepare CEPPA-intercalated LDH (CLDH), which was then dispersed in PE through melt blending. The compact and fully developed char of the PE/IFR/CLDH composites were mainly attributed to the reactions between CLDH and the intumescent flame retardant (IFR), enhancing the flame retardancy of the composites.