Recent Advances in Flame Retardant Polymer Nanocomposites

Abstract

Mica-type clays nano-dispersed In commodity polymers. These "nanocomposites" exhibit the unusual combination of reduced flammability, in the form of lower peak heat release rates, and However, the details of the fire retardant mechanism are not well understood. In October of 1998 a NIST-industrial consortium was formed to study the flammability of these unique materials. The focus of research within this consortium was to development a fundamental understanding of the fire retardant (FR) mechanism of polymer clay nanocomposites. We report here on some of the results of the first year of this study; we focus our discussions on the results for polystyrene (PS) a polymer system commonly used in flame retarded applications such as information technology (IT) equipment. The most important aspect of the nanocomposite approach is the combined improvement in both clay dispersion. We also report on our recent efforts to address these issues; specifically, our efforts to develop thermally stable immidazolium treated clays, and using solid state NMR to evaluate clay dispersion and alkyl ammonium stability.