The effect of boric acid on flame retardancy of intumescent flame retardant polypropylene composites including nanoclay

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In this study, different amounts of boric acid (BA, 1.25, 2.5, 3.75 and 5.0 wt%) were used to enhance the effectiveness of an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system composed of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER) in polypropylene (PP) including 2 wt% montmorillonite nanoclay (MMT). Meanwhile, metaboric acid and boron oxide which were generated by the decomposition of BA appeared in the melt compounding and the burning processes, respectively. Extensive experimental studies were performed to investigate the effects of BA/boron oxide and MMT combinations on the properties of PP/IFR. The fire resistances of the composites were studied by UL 94, limiting oxygen index (LOI) and cone calorimetry tests. The thermal properties were determined by using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal conductivity measurements. In addition, the mechanical properties of the composites were examined. The experimental results revealed that although the additions of 1.25 and 2.5 wt% BA with 2 wt% MMT significantly enhanced thermal and flame resistances of PP composites, 3.75 and 5.0 wt% BA additions generated antagonistic effects and deteriorated the fire resistance of the composites. The sample including 2.5 wt% BA addition achieved the best flame retardancy. The LOI value was increased from 18 to 31% with UL 94 V-0 rating. In addition, the peak heat release rate was reduced from 668.6 to 150.0 kW/m 2 and the total heat release value was decreased from 247.9 to 98.4 MJ/m 2 . In the meantime, the thermal conductivity was increased from 0.22 up to 0.28 W/mK. Furthermore, CO, CO 2 and the smoke productions were significantly decreased with respect to PP. NO generation was decreased with BA replacements. At the same time, although there was a slight decrease in the tensile strength, the flexural strength significantly increased with BA and MMT additions.