Zeolites: New Synergistic Agents for Intumescent Fire Retardant Thermoplastic Formulations?Criteria for the Choice of the Zeolite

Abstract

The adduct of zeolites in intumescent formulations of thermoplastic polymers (additives ammonium polyphosphate and pentaerythritol) leads to a great improvement in their fire retardant performance. A classification of different groups (A, X, Y, Mordenite and ZSM-5) is presented. The influence of the physicochemical properties of the zeolites is discussed. TG analyses reveal that the zeolite may act as a catalyst for the development of the intumescent carbonaceous material and stabilize the carbonaceous residue resulting in the degradation of the intumescent shield. Characterized by MAS-NMR "AI and %i, it is proposed that alumino-and silicophosphate species formed are catalysts active for the synthesis of a protective carbon-based material.

Intumescence: Tradition versus novelty. A comprehensive review

“…Performance may be enhanced dramatically by a small amount of a synergistic compound in the intumescent formulation [15][16][17]. In the following, synergy is used in the sense that "a synergistic effect occurs when the combined effects of two chemicals are much greater than the sum of the effects of each agent give alone".…”

“…Numerous synergists (micro-and nanofillers) have been used in conventional "three-based ingredients" intumescent formulations. These include boron compounds (zinc borates, B 2 O 3 , borophosphate, borosiloxane) [18,19], phosphorus compounds (phosphazene, ZrPO 4 ), silicon compounds (silica, silicone, silicalite) [15,20], aluminosilicate (mordenite, zeolite, montmorillonite) [15,20] [23,24] and others (carbon nanotubes, silsesquioxanes, layered double hydroxides, Cu, Pt, talc, sepiolite, zinc and nickel salts) [25][26][27]. The presence of the additional filler can modify the chemical (reactivity of the filler versus the ingredients of the intumescent system) [28] and physical (expansion, char strength and thermophysical properties) [29] behavior of the intumescent char when undergoing flame or heat flux leading to enhanced performance.…”

Prediction of properties and modeling fire behavior of polyethylene using cone calorimeter

“…Migration or convection of nanoparticles to the surface [10] 3. Nanoconfinement, wherein nanofillers exert spatial constraints on a polymer and its degradation [11] In the catalytic charring effect, the nanofillers induce partial charring by forming newer more stable bonds as the original polymer bonds deteriorate under the effect of external heat and hence modify the degradation pattern of the polymer [12,13]. The nanofillers which exhibit the physical barrier effect does slow down the rate of heat release during the process of polymer combustion.…”

Flammability and Thermal Properties of Zeolite-Filled High-Impact Polystyrene Composites

“…They are used as catalysts, adsorbents due to their regular pore structures and high thermal stability [8,9] , but they are also used as an additive for improving antibacterial properties and flame-retardant properties to polymers [10][11][12][13] . It has been shown in many studied that zeolites can enhance flame retardant performance significantly [14][15][16] .…”