Cone calorimeter analysis of flame retardant poly (methyl methacrylate)-silica nanocomposites

Nanocomposite is a promising method to reduce fire hazards of polymers. Specifically due to increased interfacial area between polymer and nanofillers, polymer nanocomposites have an advantage in reducing fire hazards efficiently even when the flame retardant additives are at a concentration of 5 mass% or less. In theory, crosslinking between the polymer chains can create a carbon-dense structure to enhance char formation, which can further promote the flame retardancy. However, little research has been done to explore the flammability of crosslinking polymer nanocomposites with a low concentration of nanosilica particles. In this study, crosslinked and non-crosslinked poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposites of a low concentration of nanosilica particles have been prepared via an in situ method. Their fire properties were tested by using the cone calorimeter at the heat flux of 50 kW m(-2). Although silica-containing flame retardants tend to negatively affect the ignitability and soot production especially at a high concentration, through the condensed phase mechanism, the samples of high loading rate of nanosilica particles show better fire retardancy performance in the aspect of flammability, including decreased heat release rate, mass loss rate, and total heat release. Additionally, crosslinking indeed attributes to the less intensive combustion of crosslinked PMMA samples, especially at a low concentration of nanosilica. The combination of nanosilica particles with the modification of the internal structure of the polymer nanocomposites might be a good strategy to improve fire retardancy.