Polypropylene (PP) is a general-purpose plastic, but some applications are constrained by its high flammability. Thus, flame retardant PP is urgently demanded. In this article, intumescent flame retardant PP (IFRPP) composites with enhanced fire safety were prepared using 1-oxo-4-hydroxymethyl-2,6,7-trioxa-1-phosphabicyclo [2.2.2] octane (PEPA) functionalized graphene oxide (PGO) as synergist. The PGO was prepared through a mild chemical reaction by the covalent attachment of a caged-structure organic compound, PEPA, onto GO nanosheets using toluene diisocynate (TDI) as the intermediary agent. The novel PEPA-functionalized graphene oxide not only improves the heat resistance of GO but also converts GO and PEPA from hydrophobic to hydrophilic materials, which leads to even distribution in PP. In our case, 7 wt% addition of PGO as one of the fillers for IFRPP composites significantly reduces its inflammability and fire hazards when compared with PEPA, by the improvement of first release rate peak (PHRR), total heat release, first smoke release rate peak (PSRR) and total smoke release, suggesting its great potential as the IFR synergist in industry. The reason is mainly attributed to the barrier effect of the unburned graphene sheets, which protects by the decomposition products of PEPA and TDI, promotes the formation of graphitized carbon and inhibits the heat and gas release.

The effects of zeolite on the thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) were investigated by the static thermal stability test, pyrolysis experiment and ultraviolet spectrum. The results showed that the porous zeolite could absorb hydrogen chloride (HCl), which suppressed the catalysis of HCl on thermal degradation of PVC, thus improved the thermal stability of PVC. The oxidizing acid which was loaded on zeolite had oxidated on the double bond that formed during the dehydrochlorination of PVC. This process could prohibit the growth of the conjugated polyene and improved the color of PVC. Hence, zeolite might be possible to come up with a high performance thermal stabilizer.