In order to improve the flame retardant of polylactide (PLA), the synergistic effect of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) with commercial-available flame retardants melamine pyrophosphate (MPP) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) was investigated. The PLA composites containing 5 wt% g-C 3 N 4 and 10 wt% DOPO had a highest limited oxygen index (LOI) value of 29.5% and reached the V-0 rating of UL-94 test. The cone calorimeter tests exhibited that DOPO had a better synergistic effect with g-C 3 N 4 than MPP to improve flame retardancy of PLA. The peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) of PLA composites containing 10 wt% DOPO could be reduced by 25.2% and 23.6%, respectively, as compared with those of pure PLA. The presence of rich phosphorus element and aromatic groups in DOPO contributed to obtain continuous compact char layer and increase the graphitization level of char residues, thereby, resulting in improving the flame retardancy of PLA together with g-C 3 N 4 . In addition, the incorporation of DOPO can serve as a plasticizer to reduce the complex viscosity, improving the processability of PLA composites. K E Y W O R D S flame retardancy, graphitic carbon nitride, polylactide 1 | INTRODUCTION Bio-based and biodegradable polymers have received considerable attention during the last decade due to the growing environmental pollution and the shortage of petroleum resources. Polylactide (PLA),one of the commercial biodegradable polyesters, exhibits superior mechanical property, biodegradability, and easy processability. 1,2 It has a variety of potential applications, such as packaging, fishery, electronics, and automobile components. 3-5 However, the intrinsic poor thermal resistance and high combustibility of PLA restrict its further applications. To address the aforementioned challenges, many researches have demonstrated that the incorporation of twodimensional nanofiller is a simple and effective way to enhance thermal stability and flame retardant performance of PLA. It is widely acknowledged that the combination of the dispersed two-dimensional nanofiller with additive-type flame retardants can dramatically inhibit the oxidation reactions and/or pyrolytic reactions during the combustion. Tawaih et al reported that the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) of PLA composites could be reduced by 76.5% and 76.9%, respectively, with 2 wt% of sodium metaborate
Due to the unique two-dimensional structure and features of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), such as high thermal stability and superior catalytic property, it is considered to be a promising flame retardant nano-additive for polymers. Here, we reported a facile strategy to prepare cobalt/phosphorus co-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Co/P-C3N4) by a simple and scalable thermal decomposition method. The structure of Co/P-C3N4 was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The carbon atoms in g-C3N4 were most likely substituted by phosphorous atoms. The thermal stability of polylactide (PLA) composites was increased continuously with increasing the content of Co/P-C3N4. In contrast to the g-C3N4, the Polylactide (PLA) composites containing Co/P-C3N4 exhibited better flame retardant efficiency and smoke suppression. With the addition of 10 wt % Co/P-C3N4, the peak heat release rate (PHRR), carbon dioxide (CO2) production (PCO2P) and carbon oxide (CO) production (PCOP) values of PLA composites decreased by 22.4%, 16.2%, and 38.5%, respectively, compared to those of pure PLA, although the tensile strength of PLA composites had a slightly decrease. The char residues of Co/P-C3N4 composites had a more compact and continuous structure with few cracks. These improvements are ascribed to the physical barrier effect, as well as catalytic effects of Co/P-C3N4, which inhibit the rapid release of combustible gaseous products and suppression of toxic gases, i.e., CO.
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