Thermal degradation of magnesium hydroxide and red phosphorus flame retarded polyethylene composites

• Published in: Polymer degradation and stability Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 427 - 434
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhengzhou, Wu, Guosheng, Hu, Yuan, Ding, Yi, Hu, Keliang, Fan, Weicheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2002; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical reactions and properties; Degradation; Exact sciences and technology; Kinetic analysis; Magnesium hydroxide; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polyethylene; Pyrolysis; Red phosphorus; Thermal degradation; Pyrolysis; Polyethylene; Kinetic analysis; Magnesium hydroxide; Red phosphorus; Thermal degradation; Additive; Stability; Thermooxidative degradation; Flame retardant; Phosphorus; Kinetic parameter; Experimental study; Activation energy; Linear low density ethylene polymer
• ISSN: 0141-3910; 1873-2321
• DOI: 10.1016/S0141-3910(02)00099-X

The thermal degradation of flame-retarded linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) composites containing magnesium hydroxide (MH) and red phosphorus (RP) has been studied by thermogravimetric analysis, real time Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The Kissinger and Flynn–Wall methods were used to calculate the apparent activation energy ( E a) of the degradation of LLDPE and LLDPE composites. The FTIR studies show that addition of MH to LLDPE improves the thermo-oxidative stability, especially LLDPE/MH composites with suitable amount of RP at higher temperatures. The Py-GC/MS data indicate that incorporation of RP into the LLDPE/MH composite results in a change of pyrolysis mode and thus a great increase of the amounts of compounds with high molecular weights.