A novel intumescent flame retardant (IFR) poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with an antidripping property using fumed silica as a synergistic agent was prepared. Ammonium polyphosphate, melamine, and fumed silica were added in PBS via melt blending. It was revealed that the flame retardant PBS exhibited both excellent flame retardance and antidripping properties when the three components of IFR coexisted at an appropriate proportion. The lowest total loading of flame retardant could be reduced to 17 wt % with the synergism of fumed silica, for the goal of vertical flammability (UL-94) V-0 rate. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to characterize the morphology and composition of residual char, respectively. The combustion properties and thermal degradation behavior of the IFR-PBS composites were fully evaluated, and the possible flame retardant mechanism was proposed.
Poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) nanocomposites with titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) or hydroxyapatite nanorods (HAP) were prepared, and the effect of the nano-inorganics on the nonisothermal crystallization and melting properties of PBS were studied in detail by differential scanning calorimeter. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PBS and its nanocomposites were analyzed by the Avrami, Ozawa, and Mo methods. It is found that the presence of TNTs increases the crystallization temperature and rate of PBS composites, but decreases the crystallization activation energy and crystallinity. By comparison, the crystallization rate of the PBS composite is decreased with the addition of HAP. The melting, recrystallization, and remelting mechanism results in the formation of two melting endothermic peaks during the melting process of neat PBS and its nanocomposites. The model proposed by Mo could successfully describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of PBS and its nanocomposites. At a given crystallinity, the F(t) values decrease in the order of PBS/HAP, PBS, and PBS/TNTs.
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