Clay Flame Retardants
Improved thermal stability as well as flame retardance has been developed in a polymer-clay composite such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-montmorillonite (MMT) clay material. At 10 wt % clay loading, this material exhibits an increase of 40-50.degree. C. in its thermal decomposition temperature relative to pure PMMA. A nanocomposite prepared by sonication of silanol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with montmorillonite (10 wt %) decompose at a temperature 140.degree. C. higher than pure PDMS. An increase in the decomposition temperature was observed upon melt intercalation of aliphatic polyimide (PEI-10) into clay. An increase in the thermal decomposition temperature was observed for organically-modified layer silicate (OMLS) nanocomposites with polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA), PP and polystyrene (PS). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) experiments performed under N.sub.2 showed the onset temperatures for decomposition of polyethylene (PE)/OMLS nanocomposites are approximately 20-30.degree. C. higher than for pure PE. (Scott, Peoples and Young, US Patent 7,754,789, 7/13/2010)
Recent US Patents
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7/13/2010
7,754,789
Method for forming flame-retardant clay-polyolefin composites
Review Articles
Polymer/layered silicate (clay) nanocomposites: An overview of flame retardancy
(902-958) Progress in Polymer Science 35 #7 (2010)
Layered silicates retard flame spread in developing fires, but not at ignition or infully developed fires. (RDC 11/12/2010)