SYNTHESIS OF AROMATIC DIAMINE-BASED BENZOXAZINES AND EFFECT OF THEIR BACKBONE STRUCTURE ON THERMAL AND FLAMMABILITY PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS

Three kinds of novel aromatic diamine-based benzoxazines containing naphthalene, propane-2,2-diyldibenzene and neopentyl groups in the backbone, respectively （designated as BAPNCP, BAPBACP and BAPNPGCP, respectively）, were synthesized and characterized. In addition, the effects of backbone structures on curing behaviors of the monomers and thermal and flammability properties of the resulting polymers were systematically studied. The results indicated that BAPNPGCP displayed the highest enthalpy of the curing reaction associated with the ring-opening of benzoxazine, which was due to the effect of benzoxazine ring content per unit mass. Interestingly, the 5 wt% weight loss temperature and char residue after thermogravimetric test for poly（BAPNPGCP） were 8 ℃ and 7% higher than those of poly（BAPBACP）. Meanwhile, the total heat release of poly（BAPNPGCP） was less than half of that for poly（BAPBACP）, indicating the substantial effect of benzoxazine ring content on flammability and char formation. Furthermore, it was found that poly（BAPNCP） gave the best thermal stability and flame retardancy, which was due to the synergistic effect between naphthalene group and benzoxazine ring content. This study provides new insight into the curing behavior of benzoxazine and further understanding on the high performance of polybenzoxazine.

Flammability Properties of Composites of Wood Fiber and Recycled Plastic

Flammability properties of composites of wood fiber and recycled plastic were evaluated by the cone calorimeter and oxygen index chamber. Results were shown as follows: 1) Wood-PVC composite showed worse thermal stability on time to ignition (TTI) and mean heat release rate (MHRR), but better performance on heat release rate (HRR) and mean efficient heat of combustion (MEHC); wood-PP composite had better thermal stability properties, but was worse on other fire performance; 2) Compared with wood-PVC composite, wood-PP composite showed excellent thermal stability, but behaved dangerous as a whole; 3) Coupling agent PAPI changed fire performance of wood-PP composite and showed a longer TTI, lower EHC but higher HRR. It can be concluded that flame resistance treatment should be considered if wood-plastic composites are used as decorated materials.

Poly(lactic acid)-starch/Expandable Graphite (PLA-starch/EG) Flame Retardant Composites

This work reports on the effect of commercial expandable graphite(EG)on the flammability and thermal decomposition properties of PLA-starch blend.The PLA-starch/EG composites were prepared by melt-mixing and their thermal stability,volatile pyrolysis products and flammability characteristics were investigated.The char residues of the composites,after combustion in a cone calorimeter,were analyzed with environmental scanning electron microscopy(ESEM).The thermal decomposition stability of the composites improved in the presence of EG.However,the char content was less than expected as per the combination of the wt%EG added into PLA-starch and the%residue of PLA-starch.The flammability performance of the PLA-starch/EG composites improved,especially at 15 wt%EG content,due to a thick and strong worm-like char structure.The peak heat release rate(PHRR)improved by 74%,the total smoke production(TSP)by 40%and the specific extinction area(SEA)by 55%.The improvements are attributed to the ability of EG to exfoliate at increased temperatures during which time three effects occurred:(i)cooling due to an endothermic exfoliation process,(ii)dilution due to release of H2O,SO2 and CO2 gases,and (iii)formation of a protective intumescent char layer.However,the CO and CO2 yields were found to be unfavorably high due to the presence of EG.

Nickel-based metal-organic framework-derived whisker-shaped nickel phyllosilicate toward efficiently enhanced mechanical,flammable and tribological properties of epoxy nanocomposites

Metal−organic framework-derived materials have attracted significant attention in the applications of functional materials.In this work,the rod-like nickel-based metal−organic frameworks were first synthesized and subsequently employed as the hard templates and nickel sources to prepare the whisker-shaped nickel phyllosilicate using a facile hydrothermal technology.Then,the nickel phyllosilicate whiskers were evaluated to enhance the mechanical,thermal,flammable,and tribological properties of epoxy resin.The results show that adequate nickel phyllosilicate whiskers can disperse well in the matrix,improving the tensile strength and elastic modulus by 13.6%and 56.4%,respectively.Although the addition of nickel phyllosilicate whiskers could not obtain any UL-94 ratings,it enhanced the difficulty in burning the resulted epoxy resin nanocomposites and considerably enhanced thermal stabilities.Additionally,it was demonstrated that such nickel phyllosilicate whiskers preferred to improve the wear resistance instead of the antifriction feature.Moreover,the wear rate of epoxy resin nanocomposites was reduced significantly by 80%for pure epoxy resin by adding 1 phr whiskers.The as-prepared nickel phyllosilicate whiskers proved to be promising reinforcements in preparing of high-performance epoxy resin nanocomposites.