Self-Extinguishing and Non-Drip Flame Retardant Polyamide 6 Nanocomposite: Mechanical, Thermal, and Combustion Behavior

Abstract

Incorporation of flame-retardant (FR) additives and nanoclay fillers into thermoplastic polymers effectively suppresses materials flammability and melt dripping behavior. However, it largely affects other properties, such as toughness and ductility. In order to recover the lost toughness and ductility of flame retardant polyamide 6, various loadings of maleic anhydride modified SEBS elastomer were added and processed by twin screw extrusion. TEM images showed exfoliated nanoclay platelets and reveals that the clay platelets well dispersed in the polymer matrix. By balancing the ratio of flame retardants, nanoclay and elastomers, formulation with elongation at break as high as 76% was achieved. Combining conventional intumescent FR and nanoclay, UL-94 V-0 rating and the LOI value as high as 32.2 were achieved. In conclusion, effective self-extinguishing and non-drip polyamide 6 nanocomposite formulations with significant improvement in toughness and ductility were achieved.

Environmentally Benign Flame Retardant Polyamide‐6 Filament for Additive Manufacturing

“…[9,28] In the event that this additional stiffness leads to reduced tensile strength, there is literature precedent for the addition of an elastomeric additive to restore the natural mechanical properties of injection molded PA6. [16] This could likely be extended to additive manufacturing and will be investigated in the future. The tan( ) peaks show a significantly greater disparity in T g (roughly 20°C) between C-PA6 and FR-PA6 than the DSC data.…”

“…Furthermore, PA6 possesses a peak heat release rate (pkHRR) near 700 W g -1 in microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC), which is 20% greater than polylactic acid. [9,16] There is a long history of utilizing conventional FR additives such as ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to reduce the flammability of various polyamides. [17][18][19][20] Additionally, there have been several documented cases of PA6 flammability being effectively curtailed through incorporation of small molecules, intumescent additives, polymers, and nanoparticles.…”

“…[17][18][19][20] Additionally, there have been several documented cases of PA6 flammability being effectively curtailed through incorporation of small molecules, intumescent additives, polymers, and nanoparticles. [16,[21][22][23][24] Regrettably, none of these studies have evaluated the 3D printability of the flame retardant PA6 composites they produced. In this work, a composite filament comprised of 70 wt% polyamide-6, 20 wt% APP, and 10 wt% aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ) is demonstrated to be 3D printable in a conventional FFF printer.…”

Design and characterization of flame resistant blended nondrip PA6/Lenzing FR®/PBI fiber nonwoven fabrics

“…Non-drip FR PA6 fibers were produced using a twin-screw extruder. More details about the processing conditions of the FR PA6 fibers can be found in the previous publications [1][2][3]11].…”

“…Cellulosic fibers in protective clothing fabric can help reduce the danger of heat stress due totheir excellent moisture management and breathability properties. Recently, a low-cost non-drip flame retardant polyamide 6 (FR PA6) fiber was developed by using a combination of non-halogenated flame retardants and nanoparticles [1][2][3]11]. The non-drip FR PA6 fibers show significant reduction in heat release rate and offer the potential to achieve blends with higher nylon content than customary, thus resulting in significant cost reduction without compromising the FR performance of the fabric.…”