Effects of zinc and nickel salts in intumescent flame-retardant polypropylene

Na Wu, Chao Ding, Rongjie Yang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Variable amounts of zinc and nickel salts, such as ZnSO4· 7H2O and NiSO4·6H2O, have been incorporated into blends of polypropylene (PP)/ammonium polyphosphate (APP)/dipentaerythritol (DPER) with the aim of studying their effect on intumescent flame retardance (IFR). The PP/IFR/salt composites have been prepared using a twin-screw extruder, and their IFR behaviours have been evaluated through limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning tests (UL-94), and cone calorimeter tests (CONE). The results show that, at an appropriate level, zinc and nickel salts can increase the LOI and decrease the heat release rate (HRR). The composites have been studied with the aid of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The flame-retardant mechanism of the PP/IFR/salts system is also discussed in terms of catalytic charring. ZnSO4·7H2O has been shown to be the most effective among the aforementioned metal salts, which has proved to be strongly associated with its low melting point and the interaction between DPER and SO42-.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2589-2595
Number of pages7
JournalPolymer Degradation and Stability
Volume95
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2010

Keywords

  • Catalysis
  • Intumescent flame retardant
  • Polypropylene
  • Zinc and nickel salts

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