Flame retardancy of nanocomposites

Abstract

Nishizawa Technical Institute (NTI) and Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed EVA‐clay nanocomposites with excellent mechanical and flame retardant properties by a reactive process and have succeeded in a novel method to synthesize an aluminium hydroxide nanoparticle, which has the effect of improving the flame retardancy of nanocomposites with EVA. About the EVA‐clay nanocomposites, the peak heat release rate (HRR) of sample MM2 (EVA‐clay partially processed nanocomposites) and sample MM3 (EVA‐clay completely processed nanocomposites) was reduced from 1/3 (one third) to 1/4 (one fourth) compared with EVA only. Sample AL‐1 (EVA‐aluminium nanocomposites) showed a more effective reduction of HRR than sample AL‐2 (EVA‐normal aluminium hydroxide). Beside these experiments, the orientation of the nanofiller MMT (montmorillonite) by a 2‐axis extruder equipped a special novel kneading roll head and the flame retardancy of silica nanocomposite coating materials (Sol‐Gel process) is discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.