In this article, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) and
methacrylamide
(MAM) were used as flame retardants to develop an efficient synergistic
flame-retardant system of phosphorus and nitrogen, and P(MMA-co-MAM)/DMMP products were prepared by free-radical polymerization,
which had an excellent flame-retardant effect and high transparency.
When only 14 wt % DMMP/MAM is added, the limiting oxygen index (LOI)
value of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) can reach 23.1%, and the
vertical combustion grade can attain V-0. The flame-retardant pathways
of the DMMP/MAM flame retardant mainly include terminating a free-radical
chain reaction and gas phase dilution, which indicates that the gas-phase
flame retardant plays an important role in the PMMA flame retardant.
Meanwhile, the optical properties of P(MMA-co-MAM)/DMMP
products are almost the same as those of pure PMMA. In addition, when
14 wt % DMMP/MAM is added, the mechanical properties of P(MMA-co-MAM)/DMMP products are only slightly changed, and the
Vicat softening temperature is 65 °C higher than the long-term
service temperature of commercial PMMA, which can fulfill the needs
of most markets. This research provides a valuable method for preparing
transparent flame-retardant PMMA products.