In this study, thermal stability behavior and flammability of ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) copolymers containing organo-modified nanoclay particles (Cloisite 15A) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) along with pentaerythritol (PER), as halogen-free flame retardants, were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were employed for evaluation of the level of dispersion of nanosheets within the EVA matrix. Moreover, thermal stability behavior and flammability of the samples were studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cone calorimetry thermometer (CCT) and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The obtained results from TEM and SAXS showed that nanosheets exhibited a rather proper level of dispersion within the EVA matrix. According to TGA and CCT results, despite improving the thermal stability and flame retardancy of EVA due to incorporation of the individual additives, a considerable synergistic effect was observed upon simultaneous use of clay nanosheets and the flame retardants. Such synergistic effect was explained by the physical mechanism of the solid phase due to the increased residual ash resulted from combustion of the samples containing flame retardants and clay nanosheets. While clay nanosheets had no significant effect on the LOI of EVA, the halogen-free flame retardants substantially increased the LOI of EVA. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 23:E92-E98, 2017.
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