Nanocomposite Flame Retardant Performance: Laboratory Testing Methodology

摘要

For wire and cable (W&C) applications, synergistic formulations of metal hydrates and organically modified nanoclays are an evolutionary step to improved flame retardant (FR) performance where metal hydrates endothermically release water and the nanoclay layers promote char formation. While nanoclay incorporation in highly filled metal hydrate/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) systems has been demonstrated in the literature to improve FR, thermoplastic W&C compounds are generally blends of EVA with non-polar polyolefins to meet specific application performance requirements such as hot deformation resistance. This study looks at the effect of nanoclay loading in EVA copolymers, non-polar ethylene-octene copolymers, and their blends on various flammability measurements including limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94, and cone calorimetry.