Thermal stability and flammability studies of coated polymer powders using a plasma fluidized bed process

In this work, the thermal stability of organosilicon coatings, polyamide-6 powders and polyamide-6 clay nanocomposite powders coated with organosilicon are studied. The coatings were obtained from polymerization of 1.1.3.3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) monomer doped with oxygen using a cold remote nitrogen plasma (CRNP) process. A fluidized bed reactor using CRNP assisted polymerization was used to coat the polymer powders. The effect of oxygen addition to TMDS on the thermal stability was investigated. Oxygen addition to TMDS promotes the formation of more thermally stable coated polymers. In the case of the polyamide-6 clay nanocomposite, the Limiting Oxygen Index values were much improved. This shows that the deposits are effective fire retardant coatings. (C) 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.