Preparation and flammability of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer/montmorillonite nanocomposites

Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites have been prepared using direct melt intercalation by blending EVA and pristine MMT with two different particle sizes: MMTa (average size 38 mum) and MMTb (average size 48 mum). Their structures and flammability properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and Cone Calorimetry. XRD and HREM show that an intercalated structure is formed. The heat release rate (HRR) of the nanocomposite is 40% lower than that of pure EVA and 34% lower than that of the microcomposite. The microcomposite behaves very similarly to the pure EVA. The HRR of nanocomposite loaded with 5% MMTa is lower than that of the nanocomposite loaded with 5% MMTb (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.