Effects of a phosphorus compound on the morphology, thermal properties, and flammability of polystyrene/MgAl‐layered double hydroxide nanocomposites

Abstract

Phosphorus, nitrogen-containing monomer, acryloxyethyl phenoxy phosphorodiethyl amidate (AEPPA), was synthesized and copolymerized with styrene (St). Nanocomposites of polystyrene and poly(St-co-AEPPA) with various amounts of Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) were then prepared by in situ bulk polymerization. Structure and morphology of the nanocomposites were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nanocomposites were also examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) to evaluate the thermal properties and flammability. Intercalated or exfoliated structures were obtained for all the nanocomposites. The results from XRD and TEM showed the LDH layers dispersed better in poly(St-co-AEPPA) than those in PS matrix. Decrease in thermal stability and enhancement in char residues were observed for poly(St-co-AEPPA) nanocomposites compared with PS nanocomposites at the same LDH loading. The addition of LDH can obviously reduce the heat release capacity (HRC) and total heat release (THR) of PS. Moreover, further reductions in HRC and THR were found in poly(St-co-AEPPA) nanocomposites. The reduction in flammability was attributed to the lower maximum mass loss rate (MMLR) and higher char residues of the nanocomposites.

Sonication-assisted synthesis of polystyrene (PS)/organoclay nanocomposites: influence of clay content

“…They reported that the flame retardancy was improved by 50.6% for PS/Mg-Al LDH 5% composition. Enhanced thermal and flammability properties for the PS/LDH composites have also been conveyed by other researchers (Majoni 2015;Tai et al 2011). Adopting in situ thermal polymerization, Yeh et al (2004) prepared a series of PS/clay composites and inferred improved anticorrosive and thermal characteristics of the nanocomposites.…”

New Alternative to Produce Colored Polymer Nanocomposites: Organophilic Ni/Al and Co/Al Layered Double Hydroxide as Fillers into Low-Density Polyethylene

“…Therefore, these compounds are the most suitable for application as fillers for polymer nanocomposites. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] However, research articles about polymer nanocomposites based on polyolefin and layered double hydroxides are still relatively scarce. 16 Layered compounds are characterized by stacked layers (having thickness from one to several atoms), in which the atoms have strong bonds along the crystallographic axes a and b, and are stacked along the c-axis (basal axis).…”

Boronated (co)polystyrene: monomer reactivity ratios, thermal behavior and flammability

“…[23] Some of these compounds can act as reactive FR and initiators simultaneously. [24] It should be also emphasized that compounds containing boron atoms play an important role in reducing the flammability of polymers. The action of these compounds is based on formation of a surface char layer to prevent the oxidation of carbon and to limit the access of oxygen.…”