Comparative Study on Thermal Decomposition and Combustion Behavior of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate) Composites Containing Trivalent Metal (Al, La, Ce) Hypophosphite

摘要

High fire hazards of glass-fiber reinforced polymer composites have greatly limited their development and application. To reduce their flammability, the composites have to be treated with flame retardants. This work examines the use of three trivalent metal (Al, La, Ce) hypophosphites as halogen-free flame retardants for glass-fiber reinforced poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate) (GRPBT) composites. The aim of this study is to quantitatively investigate the effect of metal hypophosphites on the thermal decomposition and combustion behavior of GRPBT composites by means of cone calorimeter and thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) techniques. The peak heat release rate and total smoke production of GRPBT/cerium hypophosphite (CHP) composite evaluated by cone calorimeter are reduced, respectively, by around 76 and 44% compared to the results of GRPBT. The volatilized esters measured by TG-FTIR in the decomposition of GRPBT/CHP are decreased by about 69%. The results showed that rare earth hypo-phosphites can effectively inhibit the thermal decomposition and combustion behaviors of GRPBT in comparison with aluminum hypophosphite.